The Next Generation: One of ‘the Boys’
by Rivan Warrioress
Summary: Jeff Tracy’s only granddaughter struggles to earn her place in the international Rescue team. I have fixed up the earlier chapters, so you might have to reread them. Please review, as it helps me write better. My First Eva Fan fiction
1. School Days

Thunderbirds Story

The Next Generation: One of 'the Boys'

**A.N All right, to make this story work, I adjusted a few things. I mostly based it on the movie, but there are references to the TV show. This story is based approximately 25 years after the movie. Alan and Tin-Tin are married, as are Scott and Lady Penelope. Scot and Lady P have two sons, Peter, aged 23 and Matthew, 21. Alan and Tin-Tin have three children. Nick, aged 20, William, aged 18, and Catherine, 16. International Rescue is still operating **

**DISCLAIMER : I do not own Thunderbirds or any of the songs mentioned in this story. The band name is made up. Please do not copy this story unauthorized. This story was written for my own pure enjoyment, and the enjoyment of others. It was not written for profit**

**_Chapter One - School Days_**

Catherine Evelyn Lucy Tracy sat at her desk at the British boarding school she attended. It was the end of the school year, and she was going back to her home, Tracy Island, for the summer break. Of course, back at home it would be winter, but the tropical climate of the island still made the temperature warm enough to go for a swim in the family's pool, or to go for a leisurely stroll along the beach, or even go snorkelling in the clear blue water around the island.

Catherine, or as she was most commonly known, Kate, lived on the island with her large extended family, that is, her four uncles and one auntie, her two older cousins, her two older brothers, her aunts butler, her great-grandmother, her two grandfathers and her parents. Thankfully, the island, and the house, was fairly large, so it rarely seemed crowded. Kate had her own bedroom, which was huge compared to some of her 'mainland' friends, and she also had laid claim to a cave that fronted onto the beach, not far form the house. The cave served as Kate's retreat, where she could listen to her music as loudly as she wanted, and she could practice her favourite past time, playing the guitar. Kate enjoyed life on the island, even if she did wish her parents showed a little more interest in her education.

Kate was, to use her teacher's words, 'intellectually advanced'. All this meant, to Kate, was that she was smart, and that her classmates probably envied her when it came to giving their reports to their parents. For the last five years, ever since Kate had attended school, she had excelled. All of the teacher's merely assumed that it was because Kate had been home schooled from the age of five, but in reality, Kate just seemed to understand what they were babbling on about as they stood in front of her class. It might have aided Kate that she had trained herself to keep alert and focused at all times. This had nothing toward her goals for her education, but her career as a Thunderbird.

Kate hated how all of her cousins and brothers, whom she treated all like older brothers, were allowed out on missions, and yet she was stuck at school. Kate had almost started crying over her last letter from 'the boys' as she called them. In the letter, all four of them had boasted about the various rescue missions they had attended. Nick had been the worst. He was 20 years old, and had told Kate that he would not be present at the island upon her return due to the fact that he would be helping Uncle John monitor the radio waves from earth in Thunderbird 5. Kate had only been to Thunderbird 5 once, when she had been very small. She barely remembered it, but she did remember the burning jealousy she had felt when she had read the letter. Every time there was a mission taking place, providing that it was daytime in England, her school would telecast the rescue effort. Every time a rescue was shown, Kate would watch with her heart in her mouth, knowing the danger, wishing she was there, longing for the acceptance her joining International Rescue would give her within her family. No more speaking in hushed voices about missions whenever she was around. No more teasing letters from 'the boys'. Just acceptance. Kate was over it. Over being the baby of the family, over being the only one not involved with International Rescue. Sometimes, Kate hated being in such a large family, or even being in such a close family. At least there was no travel required to the family Christmas Party's, she smiled bitterly.

Kate shook her head and brought herself back into the present. So much for staying focused. Kate become aware that her year level manager was striding between the rows of sixth years, handing out the cardboard folders that housed each individual persons report, and a notice telling the student if they had won any awards that needed presenting at the school awards day. Kate bitterly hoped that she wouldn't have a letter in her report. Every year she had received one, but her parents had been unable to come. In her first year, her father had been monitoring the space station, and Kate hadn't wanted to tell her mother, because then her mother would feel obligated to come over to England, although she was needed at base. In her second year, her uncle Gordon, had been on leave visiting some friends in Canada, and she had known that both of her parents would have been unavailable. In her third year, her Uncle Scott had just injured his shoulder, meaning her father would have to fly Thunderbird One in case of an emergency, the year after that her older brother Will had been in hospital with appendicitis and both of her parents had been with him in the hospital and last year Her uncle Scott had been on leave again, but he had been able to attend the ceremony. Kate smiled at the memory. Every year, her Aunt, Lady Penelope, and 'Nosey' Parker the butler would attend the ceremony, and watch Kate collect her awards, before taking Kate back home to the island. Kate shook her head and accepted her report from the aging woman. Every year, Mrs. Macleod looked older, but her wrinkled smile had remained the same. Kate breathed out heavily and opened the folder and groaned. There was that damn piece of paper. She glanced down the list of awards. Academic excellence award, an language award, a English award, an music award, a sport award and a science award. Kate groaned. This was really bad. Usually she only got three or four, not six. Maybe it was someone else's. She pulled out the next piece of paper. Kate winced as she looked at her full name printed at the top of the page. Katherine E.L. Tracy. No one ever used her full name, not even her teachers, or even her parents when she was in trouble. Kate let her gaze flick over to her best friends, Julia, who sat at Kate's left, and Daniel, who sat on Kate's right hand side.

"How many did you get" Daniel mouthed.

"Six" Kate whispered, watching Daniel grimace. He knew her Kate's parents never came to the ceremonies.

"How many did you get, Jules" Dan whispered

"Two" Julia muttered

"How about you?" Kate whispered

"Three" Daniel beamed. His grades were generally lower than the girls, so he was thoroughly pleased with his results.

Kate nodded and glanced at her grades summery.

BIOLOGYA

CHEMESTRYA+

ENGLISHA+

LITARATUREA+  
MANDARINA+

MATHAMATICSB+  
PSYCHOLOHYA

SPORTS IN THE OUTDOORSA+  
SENIOR MUSIC – GUITARA+

SENIOR MUSIC – VOCALA

Kate smiled. At least, when she returned to the island, this would give her family something to be proud of her for, although all of 'the boys' had done well in school. Kate sighed. Another year of not telling her parents there wasn't an awards ceremony. Kate had hidden all of her previous awards in her room, only Auntie P., Uncle Scott and Parker knew about them, and Kate had made them swear to secrecy. Not even any of 'the boys' knew, and that was how Kate would have liked it to stay

**A.N. What do you think? Please review. I'm thinking of making it the first chapter of the first story in a series. Review and tell me what is you opinion wether or not I should. By the way, I'm not English or American, so my understanding of the education systems in those countries may be inaccurate. My apologies for this. **


	2. They Can't Be

_**Chapter 2 – They Can't Be**_

Later that day, Kate, Daniel and Julia were sitting in the shade of one of the large oak trees that were planted at random positions throughout the school. They were comparing reports when Daniel broke the silence.

"Are you two interested in going to a little party my big brother is holding at my house on Saturday night, you know, since schools going to be finished?" He asked, raising his head slightly.

"Is it going to be supervised by someone at least slightly sober" Julia asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah, I think so" Daniel nodded.

"Will it be safe, I mean, no offence, but all of your brothers friends are alcoholic drug users." Kate queried

"Of course. We'll be inside, and they'll be outside, and if they come inside, I have my granddad's permission to call the cops" Daniel grinned, "Of course, I'll probably end up calling at least one form of emergency service anyway, it just depends what sort of crack they get their hands on"

"Well, I'll have to ask my mum and Dad, but I think they might let me go, if I word my asking the right way, that is." Kate smiled mischievously

"I'll see, I can't guarantee anything, though" Julia nodded. Suddenly, the Trio raised their heads. One of the younger boys was sprinting across yelling something. Kate grabbed his arm as he raced by.

"What's going on" she asked

"ThethunderbirdsaregoingtobeonTV" The boy yelled, almost jumping up and down in his excitement.

"What, can you repeat that a little bit slower, please" Julia giggled

"The thunderbirds are at a rescue somewhere in Northern China, they're going to be on TV, it's some sort of flood." Kate's grip on the boy disappeared and he took his advantage and bolted towards the television room. Kate didn't notice this. She looked at her friends.

"Shall we?" she asked, pointing towards the boy's back.

"Let's" Daniel smiled, knowing Kate's obsession with watching all of the Thunderbirds rescues that she could, but not knowing the true reason behind it.

Kate and Julia smiled and followed the boys retreating back.

When the trio arrived in the television room, which resembled a small theatrette, the majority of the seating was taken by students, and the occasional teacher. Kate, Daniel and Julia sat on the floor and watched the screen. It was obviously nigh time, but the scene was well lit by Thunderbird 2's floodlights. Kate grinned when she saw the enormous green machine. She knew her Uncle Virgil, and quite possibly her Uncle Gordon, her father, and some of 'the boys' would be on board. Kate could see the spreading floodwaters that had caused the alarm to be raised. Kate privately frowned. The terrain and the fact that it was night time would make this rescue highly difficult. Kate jumped slightly as a fork of lightening flashed across the sky. Kate could hear the reporter.

"And we have just received word that the floodwaters are threatening a bomb making facility. It will be a race against time for the brave men behind International Rescue to stop the flood in time."

Kate closed her eyes. "Come on, Guys, you can do it" she whispered, before opening her eyes again. She could see Thunderbird One in the distance, aiding Thunderbird Two by using its flash light to illuminate the raging floodwaters. Kate smiled. Good old Uncle Scott. Kate swallowed as she tried to conclude what could be done. She nodded as she saw Thunderbird two begin lowering four figures slowly down into the danger zone. Kate recognised her own father immediately, as well as her Uncle Gordon, the other two figures were harder to figure out their identity's, but then it clicked. Matt and Will. Kate almost gasped out. What on earth was Will doing in the middle of this hell of a danger zone. He hadn't been a Thunderbird for that long, and the uniform still looked slightly big on him. Kate blinked and watched the rescue unfold. The terrified people were slowly winched up into the belly of Thunderbird 2, while Alan, Gordon, Matt and Will tried to use pumps to soak up the floodwaters. Kate could tell they were almost out of time. Then, it happened. The floodwaters broke trough and crashed into the bomb factory. Kate gasped as an explosion rocked the scene, then the worst thing happened

The TV went dead. Alana could feel her eyes misting over. No, it couldn't have happened. She hastily wiped her eyes, but the fuzz on the TV remained slightly blurry. Kate hastily stood up and turned to face her friends, who had been shell-shocked by the explosion. International rescue couldn't have died, it was impossible. They were practically immortal. Kate uncertainly cleared her throat.

"Um, I have to go to my room and do some homework" Kate mumbled

"Kat, are you OK, we don't have any homework, it's the holidays soon, remember" Daniel gently reminded

"I've just got some stuff to do, you know, pack and stuff" Kate muttered, hastily leaving the room. She practically raced back to her room, thankful that the sixth and seventh years had their own rooms. Kate locked the door and reached underneath the bed. Carefully she pulled out her two way radio. As quietly as she could she set it up, then, trying to remain calm, she began transmitting.

"Kate Tracy to Base, come in base, Kate Tracy to base, please come in Base" Kate paused, listening intently, but hearing nothing but static. Becoming more frantic, she tried again. 'Kate Tracy to base, come in base, please" Kate groaned. Still nothing. Kate sighed and decided to try something else. "Kate Tracy to Thunderbird 5, come in Thunderbird 5, Kate Tracy to Thunderbird 5, come in Uncle John" Kate paused and sat on the carpeted floor of her room. Still nothing. She let out a sob. They couldn't be dead, no way. Kate curled herself up into a ball and looked out of her window. It was beginning to rain. 'Stupid English weather' she thought bitterly, sobbing. Kate jumped when she heard something beep in her schoolbag. Quickly, she dug her hand into the bag, and pulled out her mobile phone. She grinned. Why hadn't she thought of that? Quickly she checked her messages. There was a new message from her Aunt Penelope. Kate read it.

_Kate, when it is convenient can you contact me, Lady P. _

Kate smiled and dialled in her Auntie's home phone number.

"Hello?" came a nasal voice with a strong English accent. Kate sighed

"Hello Nosey, Is my auntie home, its Kate

"Yes, I'll be fetch'n her"

"Thanks Nosey" Kate smiled. A short while later, a female voice spoke down the receiver.

"Lady Penelope Tracy Creighton-Ward here, how can I help you, Kate?"

"Hi Auntie P. You wanted to speak to me?" Kate asked

"Ah yes, I assume you were watching that rescue on the television"

"Um, yeah. I couldn't contact home or uncle john either" Kate admitted, her voice catching slightly

"It will be alright," Lady P. soothed, "Parker and I will come tomorrow for the awards day, and then you can come home with us, and then we'll get this whole mess sorted out"

"But, didn't you see the bomb go off, my dad was there, and my brother. Will was the closest thing I had to a friend on the island. What if my mum was there? I'd have no-one" Kate cried, tears pouring down her face

"I'm sure they're all fine" Lady Penelope soothed. Kate sighed.

"I'm sorry, I'm just scared. I already feel alone on the island, and now this happens and" Kate broke off. Did she just say what she thought she said? "It's really nothing, anyway, I've gotta go" she finished lamely, mentally kicking herself up the backside

"We'll see you tomorrow" Lady Penelope frowned, she'd have to tell Alan and Tin-Tin about what Kate had just said

"See you then, bye" Kate forced herself to smile before hanging up. She wiped her eyes. Shit, she'd let her guard down. Now everyone on the island would know about her loathing of her position in the family. That was, if her family on the island were still alive. Sighing, Kate looked at her bedside table. A photo of herself and her brothers sat in one corner. It had been taken when Kate had been only eight, and had accepted that she was too young to be a Thunderbird happily, thinking that it wouldn't take long for the day to come that she would be allowed on missions. Eight long years later, that day still hadn't come. Kate glanced at another picture. It was of her pet cat, Socksy. Kate smiled, and then looked at the third photo. It was one of her entire family in the pool. It had been taken last Christmas. Kate quickly spotted herself, sitting on her oldest brother, Nick's, broad shoulders, laughing as her other brother, Will, splashed Nick in the face, while her cousins tried to tackle Kate's father and her uncle Gordon. Kate's mother and Aunt were lounging on the pools side, being served cocktails by Parker, while Kate's grandfather, Jeff, stood by the family barbeque and her remaining three Uncles, Scott, John, and Virgil, laughing madly, had started wrestling each other in the pool. Kate laughed, breaking the dead silence of the room. The final photo was one of her with the boys when she had just started crawling. Kate was sitting on Peter's lap, giggling, while Peter beamed. Sitting as close to peter as he could, Kate could see Will, smiling proudly. On Peters left, Nick was kneeling, his arm draped around his oldest cousins shoulder, laughing. At the back, Matthew stood, his head resting on Peter. Kate smiled. They all looked so young there. It was hard to believe that now at least two of them were now n mortal peril. Kate had always known the dangers that the International Rescue operations held, but for her, they suddenly became so clear. Kate sobbed. She couldn't believe they might be dead; it was just too horrible to imagine. Even if she hated the way they acted, they were still her family, and nothing could ever change that.

**A.N. I hope you liked it. Please read and Review and I'll do my best to improve the story based on the reviews. **


	3. A Average

**DISCLAIMER : I do not own Thunderbirds or any of the songs mentioned in this story. The band name is made up. Please do not copy this story unauthorized. This story was written for my own pure enjoyment, and the enjoyment of others. It was not written for profit**

**Chapter 3 – A Average**

The next day, Kate met Daniel and Julia in the schools auditorium. She'd stayed in her room all night, missing dinner, thinking about her family and what would happen if something had happened to them. Daniel waited until Julia had to go and ask one of the teachers something, before talking to Kate.

"Are you Ok?" he asked, concerned

"Yeah, I'm fine" Kate smiled falsely

"Good, I'm just asking because you were a bit odd last night after we watched that rescue" Daniel smiled, wrapping his arm around Kate and giving her shoulder a squeeze, "you ready for today's performance?" he asked

"Yes, Ready as I'll ever be" Kate nodded. Together, Kate, Daniel, and two of their other friends had made up a band, called A Average, and they were going to be playing at the ceremony. Kate was looking forward to it; she loved when they played together. She was sure her Aunt was going to get a shock when she sore the five of them up on stage, belting out The Eagles Eye of the Tiger and Schools out for Summer by Alice Cooper. Kate grinned in spite of herself. Regardless what had happened yesterday, she was looking forward to the ceremony.

During the morning, Kate, Julia and Daniel practiced their roles in the awards ceremony, then Kate and Daniel had band practice while Julia went to the cheerleading team's practice. At lunch, Kate went out to the front driveway of the school, waiting to see the pink Rolls Royce, FAB1. Kate smiled as she saw it turn up into the school. She ran across the lawns to where it had parked and greeted Parker as he got out of the car.

"How are you, Nosey?" Kate cheekily grinned.

"Very well, thank you, young Miss Tracy" The older man replied, shaking hands with Kate. Kate moved to strike Parkers neck, but the butler easily blocked the blow, and he grabbed both Kate's wrists. "Enough of that, Miss Tracy" he chided, smiling broadly

"Bring it On' Kate laughed, tugging her wrists free and adopting a boxer's pose. Parker laughed and they started to take half hearted blows at one another. Kate laughed. They did this every time they met after a long period of time apart. A loud noise behind them stopped their youthful exchange. Lady Penelope had just steeped out of the car, and Kate immediately walked over to her

"How are you, Aunt Penelope?" Kate asked, curtsying

'Very well, how are you, my dear" Lady Penelope asked casually. Kate glanced around to ensure they were alone.

"All right, has there been any news" Kate asked quietly

"No, I'm sorry, all communications are down within the organization, I can't even make contact with any-one on base's mobile.

"So, it's that bad, is it" Kate whispered, wiping her eyes sadly.

"It will be all right, you just concentrate on the ceremony, then we'll go back to my house and we can work on making contact, O.K" the blond ex London agent of International rescue reassured. Kate smiled weakly and led her aunt to the auditorium

Kate smiled as she stood backstage, waiting for the band to be announced by her headmaster with the other members of A Average. Kate looked at Daniel and smiled. He winked at her. Deep within herself, Kate felt her heart skip a beat and her legs shook slightly. Kate shook her head. There was no time for romance now, that could wait until after she was more certain about her family's state of well being. Kate smiled and readied herself for the performance as she heard the headmaster, a elderly man who valued the importance of education in his students (and also harbored a love of classic rock songs,) begin the band's introduction

"This fine school has long valued the development of it's students talents, whether they be sporting, musical or academic. Ten months ago, a group of students in the six year got together, unified by a love of music, and started A Average. I present them to you today, as they perform 'Eye of the Tiger', as Daniel Smith, Kate Tracy, Lewis Watson, Philippa Clarke and Oliver Fletcher. Give them a round of applause, please" The Headmaster stepped off stage as Kate, Daniel and their friends. Kate quickly plugged in her guitar and checked that her microphone was on. She played lead guitar, and also did some of the vocals. Most of the vocals were done by Lewis, who played piano and Philippa, who was their lead vocalist/tambourine player. Daniel took up his position beside Kate and began untwisting the neck strap on his guitar, while Oliver sat at the drums, twirling the drumsticks in his fingers. Philippa stepped to the front of the stage and spoke into her microphone.

"Hey guys, it's time to let your hair down. We're here to play Eye of the Tiger, and we'll be back at the end to play something that I'm sure you all have in the back of your minds. All right, hit it." Kate took this as her cue and started playing, her hands seemingly flying over the strings. One by one, the other members of the band joined in. Kate barely noticed the size of the audience she was playing for, she was just listening to her fellow band members, only realizing the size of the crowd after the final bar had been played. Kate looked up and beam. Most of the students were on their feet, cheering. Kate smiled, but felt her eyes misting over. If only her parents were able to see this. Maybe they were. Maybe they were watching from heaven, with her grandmothers. Kate choked back a sob, but she could feel the tears sliding down her cheeks. Kate was relieved when they were safely back off the stage. Daniel was standing beside her.

"Kate, what's wrong, you've been acting weird all day?" he asked.

"It's nothing, Dan, really, it was just the lights in my eyes" Kate lied.

"Maybe I could kiss them better?" Daniel flirted. Kate giggled,

"That might work" she smiled. Daniel gently kissed her on the cheek, and Kate felt herself blush. 'Damn, why did she have to be so head over heels in love with him? He probably doesn't even like you in that way' Kate furiously thought to herself. Kate sat back down backstage. Daniel winked at her as he went back to his seat. Because Kate still had to fetch two awards, and Daniel already had all his, he was permitted to go back to his seat for a bit, until he was needed again for A Average. Kate sighed and leaned back, desperately trying to get a grip on herself. Kate sighed. She had begun to understand why she was so annoyed about 'the boys' boasting. It wasn't that they were rubbing in that she wasn't allowed and that made her jealous, it was that every time they went out on a rescue, Kate feared for their safety. She knew the risks, and the fact that when they were on rescues, all Kate could think about were the little boys, aged only 7, 9, 10 and 12 that had taken her out for her first walk around the Jungle on Tracy island when she was only 5, the ones who, along with their Uncle Gordon, had taught a six year old Kate how to swim. Kate smiled as she thought of their youthful exploits around the home, all of the practical jokes, the number of times they'd gotten into so much trouble. Peter, being the oldest got into the most because most of the time, he was supposed to be watching the younger ones, instead of encouraging them. As they gad gotten older, Peter had become more of a spectator, but he also had the dual purpose of getting the younger ones out of trouble. Kate smiled as she remembered the times before any of them were old enough to join International Rescue. In those days, Kate and 'the boys' spent their days plotting the latest practical joke, relaxing in the pool, exploring the island, using the island recreational areas and listening to stories about International Rescue, mostly told by their Grandfather. Kate sobbed and quickly wiped her eyes. She couldn't believe that at least two of those little boys, almost half of their little quintet of terror, were most probably dead.

Kate began relaxing her fingers again. All of the certificates had been presented, and now, A Average were about to close the day with 'Schools out for Summer.' Daniel smiled and gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"Come on" he whispered, once their headmaster had finished his second introduction for A Average, "lets get out there and close this year with some decent music" he called, his voice rising. Kate nodded and followed Daniel out onto the stage, her head held high.

Kate groaned with relief as she stepped off the stage for the final time. She turned to face Daniel as they were packing up their guitars

"Well, that's over for another year" She sighed

"Yes, only one year to go" Daniel smiled.

"yeah, but after that we've got University and college, and stuff"

"Stuff meaning family businesses that won't give you time off to see your kid receive awards for being a genius at school." Daniel muttered quietly, having told vaguely by Kate why her parents never came to awards day. Kate shot him a scathing look.

"Don't worry, I think recent events out of our control have made it highly unlikely that I'll ever be involved with the family business" Kate muttered, thinking of the explosion. Daniel raised his eyebrows

"Is that why you've been so cut up the last couple of days, because you won't be part of some big ass family business" Daniel snorted. Kate sighed.

"Not really, Dan, not really"

**A.N. This chapter isn't very good; I'll probably end up editing in a fair bit. For those of you who have noticed that this fanfic is very similar to the movie, I'll start branching out over the next couple of chapters, I promise. Once again, please review so I can improve this story, and any future stories I write. Thank you**

**Rivan Warrioress**


	4. Not the only One worried

Chapter 4 – Not the only one worried

Kate met Lady Penelope and Parker at the front of the auditorium. Kate motioned toward the girls dormitories.

"I've just got to go and get my stuff, then I'll be ready, Aunt Penelope" Kate muttered, carefully placing her guitar case into the boot of FAB1. Penelope could tell that, somewhere, in the guitar case, Kate had hidden the certificates.

"I assume that Parker and I aren't going to tell anyone about what you've got hidden in their?" Penelope asked

"Yep, that's right. I don't mind if you tell about the band, but no awards, by the way, Nosey," Kate reached deep into her pocket and pulled out some notes, "here's the payment for taking care of the letter for my parents about today" she handed Parker the money, and he passed a envelope to her, tipping his hat slightly.

"Thanks, Nosey. I'll be right back" Kate nodded and ran toward her dormitory. Penelope looked at Parker with her eyebrows raised.

"You know I don't approve of her paying you to steal that letter. I really don't approve of any of this 'don't tell anyone about today' business" Penelope muttered

"I know, Milady, but she did make us all swear to secrecy" parker sighed

"I don't know why she's bothering this year, what with that rescue yesterday" Penelope whispered, tears starting to slide down her cheeks

"I don't know Milady, it's probably a teenager thing" Parker soothed, wiping her tears away, "And don't you worry your pretty face about what happened yesterday. Those Tracy boys are very capable at looking after the boys, I'm sure their fine"

"I know, Parker, but Scott and Matthew were both at that scene, as well as Virgil, Alan and Will. I'm allowed to worry about them" Penelope dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief.

Kate arrived back at FAB1 carrying her suitcase. She carefully stowed it in the back of the Pink automobile, before walking over to say goodbye to her friends. Daniel's grandfather was there to pick him up, as was Julia's mother. Kate hugged Julia goodbye first.

"Have lots of fun in Europe, OK" Kate smiled forcibly

"You have fun on your little island in the Pacific, doing as little as possible" Julia smiled, referring to Kate's comment earlier that day. Kate laughed.

"I will, have fun at your granddads friends' house, being mothered by some little old lady, Dan" Kate muttered, hugging Daniel.

'I will, maybe you can visit some time?" Daniel smiled, gently kissing Kate on the cheek. Kate grinned sheepishly as she felt her knees go like jelly

"I'd like that, I'll have to see if theirs a space in my schedule" Kate flirted.

Daniel let go of her, "Call me if you need me, OK" he whispered. Kate nodded

"Will do, see you later Julia" Kate called. Julia waved as Kate climbed into the back seat of the Rolls Royce

"To the manor, Parker, and quickly. I need to try the communications again" Penelope said

"Right you are, Milady" Parker nodded, driving the car down the schools drive. Kate turned around in her seat and looked back at the school. Kate let a tear fall from her eye. Thus begun two and a bit months of no youthful companionship other than the bragging smugness of 'the boys, that was, if nothing had happened '. Penelope looked at her niece carefully. Kate had lost weight since the last time she had been home, and Penelope could see fine worry lines on Kate's face.

"Don't worry, dear, I'm sure they'll be fine." Penelope soothed. Kate nodded. She could feel her eyes beginning to water. Penelope watched as Kate angrily brushed the tears away. Penelope sighed. She was rather upset about what she had seen on the rescue, and with the communications being down, she was worried sick about her husband and sons. Obviously, she wasn't the only one worried

A.N. Sorry this chapter is so short. The next couple should be longer. Once again, please R and R.


	5. Back in Contact

Chapter 5 – Back in Contact

Kate sipped absentmindedly at her cup of tea, watching Penelope try and contact Base on her communicator. Kate felt herself sinking further and further into depression each time that there was no response. As Parker entered the room, Penelope tried again.

"Lady Penelope to Tracy Island, come in Jeff, Lady Penelope to Tracy Island" Penelope paused. Kate sobbed as silence reigned. Parker cautiously cleared his throat.

"Um, milady, it seems that it's getting quite late, should I prepare some supper, or will yourself and young miss Tracy be turning in soon

"Some of your fabulous tea and cake would go down very well, Parker, Thank-you" Penelope sighed, crossing over to where Kate sat, huddled up into a ball with tears pouring down her cheeks. Penelope picked up a knitted blanket that was draped artistically over one of the chairs and wrapped it around Kate.

"It'll be all right" Penelope whispered, trying to reassure herself, as well as Kate. Kate looked blankly at her Aunt.

"I should have told them, what if something has happened, and I never told them about anything."

"Like what?" Penelope asked, although she thought she already knew the answer

"Well, the awards, the fact that I have a panic attack every time I watch one of the rescues, everything" Kate muttered

"I'm sure they'll understand." Penelope smiled forcibly. A sudden beeping from a painting of a lion stalking a deer caused both of them to jump. Lady Penelope crossed the room and sat in front of the picture, flicking a hidden switch, while Kate stood up, her fingers crossed and her eyes alight with hope.

"Lady Penelope here, go ahead" Lady Penelope said

"Hi Penny" the voice of Jeff Tracy broke the heavy silence of the room as his image replaced the painting. Kate stifled a sob and dropped into a chair, tears of joy sliding down her cheek and a wide grim spread over her mouth.

"Jeff, what a pleasant surprise, what's been happening on the island?" Penelope asked as casually as possible, but she too was smiling

"All of our communications went down, even though you probably already knew that, so we've been pretty much out of contact with everyone. We only just fixed it up and informed John. Has that caused many problems up at your end?" Jeff asked

"A little, but everything's under control now. Are Scott and the others there with you?" Penelope smiled, beckoning to Kate. Kate tip-toed over and sat, still out of sight, on the floor, watching the image.

"Yes, we're all here; I assume you want to talk to Scott, Penny?"

"Yes, thanks Jeff, ah, Scott, How are you darling" the image of Jeff panned across the Tracy family's living room until it rested on Scott Tracy

"Fine and how are you, honey" Scott smiled.

"Very well, actually, it's good to hear you're well, how's everyone else on the base"

"They're all great" Scott smiled. Penelope heard someone inn the background call out, and Scott nodded, "Have you got Kate with you, we know today was her last day of school?" he asked, obviously relaying a question. Penelope smiled and stood up, leaving her chair empty. Kate scrambled in to it and adopted a casual pose.

"Right here" she grinned, her eyes still moist from the tears. The image panned again and stayed stationary on Alan and tin-Tin. Kate smiled even more. "Mum, Dad, it's so good to see you"

"Kate, how are you, you look like you haven't slept in ages" Tin-Tin burst out, her face worried.

"I'm fine, Mum, I'm a lot better now" Kate smiled, rolling her eyes

"Have you been crying or something?" Alan asked, seeing Kate's red eyes

"Um, yeah, just a little, it's nothing really. Like I said, it's all better now" Kate stammered, hastily wiping her eyes.

"So you saw the rescue, huh" Alan groaned. He could see strait through his daughter, well, so he thought

"Yeah, it just scared me a little, that's all, and when I couldn't radio you, I just got a bit worried" Kate admitted, She could see the sympathy in her parents eyes, "oh, by the way, Will, you dare scare me that much again, you are dead" Kate threatened. The image paned to where Will was sitting with Peter.

"Yes, Kat" he muttered, bowing his head. Kate grinned as she let Penelope have her seat again. The boys almost always called her Kat, except when they were really annoyed at her.

At that moment, Parker came in with the tea, cake and an evening newspaper. Kate grabbed herself a piece of cake and bit into it, closing her eyes as she savoured the flavour. Chocolate, her favourite. Kate grinned as she looked at Parker, who was looking at the paper with a look of utmost horror on his face. Kate's smile dropped.

"What is it?" she asked. Parker wordlessly handed her the paper, and Kate read the headline on the front page.

'AUSTRALIA WINS THE ASHES, 3-0'

Kate felt her smile return as she felt a jubilant whoop within her. "Yes, we won, excellent" she yelled, before seeing the look on Parker's face. She immediately shut up.

"Sorry, Parker" she muttered, passing back the newspaper. He scowled

"We'll have none of that talk in this house, Miss Tracy" he curtly muttered, stalking over to where Penelope was sitting, talking to Peter. Kate collapsed in a giggling fit. Even though she wasn't Australian, she still generally supported them in sport; it created a friendly rivalry between members of the household. Kate smiled. Everything was slowly returning to normal. Kate raised her head and listened to Penelope as she discussed the rescue with Scott and Jeff.

"Was there much damage to the area from the explosion" Penelope asked, sipping her tea

"Most of the buildings in the village got destroyed, and a couple of acres of forest were lost" Jeff answered. From where she sat, Kate knew that they had been lucky.

"Also," Scott added, "Thunderbird two got a little toasted, just a little Carbon Scoring, that's all though." Kate smiled, thankful that the giant green flying machine had no lasting damage.

"That's good. When do you want us to return to the island, is there anything else you want me to do while I'm on land, or are you all done?"

"We're all fine, Penny, come back as soon as possible. Are you all right to get back here, or should I send Thunderbird two over to get you?" Jeff smiled

"It's alright, Jeff, Parker will take us to London airport, and we have tickets booked on the Fire flash that leaves London early tomorrow morning, which should arrive in Los Angeles about 11 hours after take off. Parker can fly us to the island in FAB 1." Penelope informed.

'Very good Penelope, we'll see you when you approach the island" Jeff nodded, and closed the communication. Kate sighed happily. She was going home.

Kate stretched her leg sleepily as she sat in the back seat of FAB 1. Despite being in first class, her legs had cramped up slightly. She knew Parker and Penelope where both slightly cramped as well.

"For all the advantages of flying, it is slightly tiresome when your muscles cramp, is it not Parker?" Penelope primly stated.

"Indeed it is, Milady, indeed it is" Parker nodded from where he sat driving the Pink Rolls Royce through the streets of Los Angeles. Kate smiled as she stretched. They were driving out of LA so they could drive to the abandoned strip of road Parker used as a runway when they flew to Tracy Island. Kate watched, captivated, as the sights and sound of her home city seemed to fly past as Parker expertly steered through the city. Eventually, they took off from the abandoned road. Parker slid a pair of navigational sunglasses over his eyes and they sped off towards Tracy Island. As they got closer, Kate could her excitement building. Despite her current disliking of 'the Boys', and there gloating, she still enjoyed life on the island. As they made there final approach, Kate leaned forward and smiled as the large green mass of Tracy Island seemed to erupt from the ocean. She could see the main house, as well as the round house, the pool that moved aside to reveal Thunderbird One's silo. Slowly, FAB1 descended onto the runway used for the more everyday aircraft, such as Tracy One, FAB1, and any non international rescue related aircraft. Kate grinned broadly as she saw a small group of people clustered at the side of the run way. She could spot her Mum and Dad, Will, Nick, and Matt, as well as her Uncles, Scott and Gordon. With a slight bump the pink car landed on the Tarmac and coasted to a stop. Kate pushed her car door open before parker had even undone his seat belt and bolted to where her parents stood. As she felt tear beginning to gather in her eyes, Kate reached her parents. She instantly wrapped them into a fierce hug, which they happily returned. Kate felt her shoulders shake as she sobbed, the tears finally breaking free. Kate felt her mother's grip on her shoulders tighten, while her father gently stroked her long dark hair.

"I was so scared" Kate cried, letting everything in her mind go, "I was so scared after I saw tat thing explode, and when I couldn't check with anyone to make sure you were O.K, I panicked. I thought the worst had happened, and I knew Will was there as well, dangling there underneath Thunderbird two, and Matt, and you and Uncle Gordy, and even the mobile phones weren't working, and" Kate fell silent as her tears overcame her. Alan Tracy looked up from his daughter to where Scott and Gordon were standing, greeting Penelope and Parker, to where Peter, Matt, and Will stood, looking down at there shoes. Will knew what it felt like. A few years ago, when he'd been 15 and before he'd become a Thunderbird, something similar had happened. Although he had been at base, all of the radios at the Accident scene had been knocked out, forcing everyone at base to wait until the rescuers returned. Will shuddered and stepped forward, gently rubbing his little sisters back. He'd felt bad ever since he had seen Kate yesterday on the communications line. He knew when his little sister was in pain, and although she'd tried to hide it yesterday, he had seen right through the act. He could tell that Kat had been scared out of her wits by what had happened, and Will knew that she would have spent the moment that the bombs had gone off, until the moment that she had laid eyes on her family when speaking to them on the communications, Kate would have been panicking. Upon feeling her brother's touch, Kate turned around and hugged him. Will smiled weakly at his parents over Kate's shaking shoulder as he comforted her. Kate slowly stopped sobbing and whipped her eyes.

"Er, sorry about that, how have you lot been" Kate smiled, picking up her guitar case, which Parker had removed from FAB1 with the rest of the baggage. Alan picked up Kate's suitcase and led the group back up the winding forest path that ended at the Tracy house. Kate sighed, she already felt more relaxed.

"We've been very well" Tin-Tin smiled, walking beside her daughter. Kate nodded. As the house came into view again, Kate smiled. The rippling water of the pool made her even more relaxed. Kate froze as Peter, Matt and Will surrounded her. She gulped and glanced at what they were wearing. Old t-shirts and board shorts, what they sometimes wore in the pool. Kate immediately put her guitar case down and started to step backwards, away from the pool.

"Oh no you don't, Kat" Peter smiled, gently turning her around. Kate turned and started running, squealing loudly. Matt grabbed her around the stomach and picked her up. Kate swore under her breath and stated struggling even more

"Oh, come on guys this isn't fair, guys let me go" Kate squealed. She was even closer to the pool now

"Sorry Kat' Will grinned

"You can't escape' Matt taunted

"You'll have to surrender" Peter laughed

"Never" Kate yelled.

"Fine, you leave us no choice" Peter nodded, signalling to matt.

"Right" Matt heaved and threw Kate into the pool. Kate swore as she entered the water. She came back up spluttering when Peter, Matt, and Will all jumped in on top of her. They all bobbed back to the surface and grinned at Kate, who grinned wickedly back.

"You're dead" Kate grinned. The smiles slid off 'the boys' faces. Kate launched herself at them and commenced splashing them. Kate laughed as the boys spluttered. This was why she loved life on the island.

**A.N. What do you think; I'll be able to get into the actual storyline now. As always, please read and review.**


	6. At home with the Tracy’s

Chapter 6–At home with the Tracy's'

**A.N. All right, I made a slight muck up. From now on, I think it'll probably be more TV verse, but there will still be movie references. – Rivan Warrioress**

Kate emerged from the pool almost an hour later, thankful that she had chosen to wear comfortable clothes for the journey home, as apposed to her 'Sunday best'. She wrapped a towel around her and climbed up to the house, looking back to check on what 'the Boys' were doing. Will was trying to get out of the pool, but Peter and Matt were pulling him back into the pool. Kate laughed and stepped into the house, ensuring to dry herself thoroughly. Once she was satisfied, she ran to her room.

Kate heaved a sigh of relief once she had gotten there. She was back safely in her little piece of heaven. She dropped her towel and rummaged in her suitcase, looking for a change of clothes. Kate then stood up and glanced out the full length window. She loved the view from her bedroom, as it showed a little bit of the beach, but also displayed part of the lush jungle that took up most of the family's 'backyard.' Kate swiftly changed and strolled down into the family's lounge. She spotted her grandfather Jeff sitting, as usual, behind his desk. She waved cheerily at him, and he waved back.

"Welcome back to paradise" he smiled

"Thanks, and thanks for the welcoming committee, it was nice to reacquaint myself with the pool." Kate joked. Jeff laughed just as Kate's uncles Virgil and Gordon strode in. Kate grinned at them as she flopped onto a seat.

"So, what's been happening?" Kate casually asked

"Well, Nick's up of Thunderbird 5, learning how to do repairs and monitor the radio frequencies" Virgil began

"And Alan and I have been comparing practical jokes with 'the Boys" Gordon eagerly interrupted

"Gordon, how many times have I told you not to interrupt, anyway, so how has school been, Kate?" Jeff Tracy scolded, although he struggled to hide a smile at Gordon's childlike eagerness.

"Schools been the same as ever, you know, boring, we started up a band, and that's given me something else to do, it's been good to just get involved with something other than school work after school has finished for the day." Kate enthusiastically told them, at the same time trying to evade the topic of her grades.

"You should play for us while your home" Virgil commented. Kate privately smiled. Uncle Virgil had always encouraged her enthusiasm for playing guitar, and he had often helped her with the reading music element of playing guitar.

"I don't know, maybe" Kate evaded, smiling shyly.

"Oh, that reminds me, one of my old friends is coming to stay on the island for a fair bit of the holidays. He helped me get some of the more abstract things I needed for International Rescue, so he knows about us, but apparently he's bringing one of his grandsons with him, and it's important he doesn't find out about the organisation, so I need you, Kate, to keep him distracted in case there is an emergency." Jeff told Kate

"Operation Cover Up" Kate nodded, trying to hide her disappointment. She had hoped that she'd be allowed to watch a couple of rescues during the holidays, but if she was needed on the island to hide the Thunderbirds existence, she guessed it was at lest involved with International Rescue. "FAB, when do the get here?" she asked

"The day after tomorrow" Jeff told her, as Kate saw her parents enter the room. Kate glanced outside and noticed that 'the Boys' had abandoned the pool, and were probably getting changed or in the shower. As if on cue, Kate heard a peal of wild laughter emit from Matt's room. Kate smiled and rose.

"Excuse me while I go and get something" she grinned mischievously. Kate walked quickly to her room, thankful that Peter and Matt's bedrooms were practically at the other side of the house, although Will's was right next door, and Nic's was across a the passage. Kate listened as she searched through her guitar case for her report and the certificates. She couldn't hear Will moving, so she assumed he was in the shower. Kate pulled out the certificates and pulled a large, locked, flat tin box out of a draw in her desk and unlocked it with a key that she removed from a small wooden box she took out of her suitcase. Inside there were many other certificates. Kate placed the new certificates on top and relocked the box, which she then put back in the draw. Kate put the key away and, picking up her report, walked back to the lounge. Kate spotted her mother and father sitting on their favourite couch and walked over to them. She placed the report by her father's arm and smiled as he picked it up.

"Thanks Kate, anything you want to tell us about before we read this?" Alan asked. Kate smiled; remembering how she had been told her father had been a troublemaker at school. She shook her head.

"No dad, we aren't all rebels like you" Kate smiled, putting on her 'I-didn't-do-it-I'm innocent-look' which she had perfected during her youth. Alan laughed, and Kate sat back down in her seat, picking up an old magazine off a table. Kate flicked it open and started to read it with little interest. A quiet beeping noise from the portrait lined wall broke the silence. Jeff pressed a button under his desk and the portrait of John Tracy slid away to revel the interior of Thunderbird 5, with John in the centre of the screen.

"Go ahead John" Jeff invited

"Father, there's a fire in Russia. It's threatening several buildings, and they've discovered that about 10 people are trapped in the basement of tone of those buildings." As John spoke, Kate sensed the urgency in his voice. She sighed inwardly as Jeff gathered details from. John. Jeff then pressed a button underneath his desk. All across the house, alarms started ringing. Less than a minute later, Kate's other Uncle's, as well as 'the Boys' had gathered in the lounge. Kate watched, feeling the familiar sense of worry and yearning in her stomach.

"Scott, you take Thunderbird One and set up mobile control" Jeff ordered

"Yes Sir" Scott rose and strode to the rocket portrait that concealed the entrance to Thunderbird 1's hanger. Once he was gone, Jeff continued to issue instructions.

"Virgil, you, Alan, Will, and Peter take Pod 1 with you"

"FAB, grandfather" Will smiled. He and Peter exchanged high fives as they exited. Alan turned back as he prepared to leave. His eyes met Kate's and he saw the yearning and sadness that lay deep within them. Alan made a metal note to talk to her about it when they returned and made his way to Thunderbird 2.

Kate sighed as she watched Thunderbird 1 erupt from the empty void left by the swimming pool. This was how it always how it went. She glanced at Matt, who didn't seem overly fussed about being left behind. Kate quietly rose.

"I'll go and unpack, OK" she said, leaving the room. Jeff raised his eyebrows at Tin-tin and made mouthed 'what's wrong with her.'

Tin-tin suspected she knew, but she decided that she should talk to Kate about it before telling Jeff. Tin-tin followed her daughter out of the lounge and into Kate's room. Tin-tin raised her eyebrows at the neatness of the room, before realising that Kate really hadn't had the chance to mess up her room since the last time she'd been home, at last Christmas. Tin-tin sat on the bed while Kate bustled around, putting away clothes and the occasional school book.

"Can I help?" Tin-tin asked

"No, it's Ok, mum; I won't need that much longer." Kate smiled forcibly. Tin-tin shook her head.

"That's not what I meant, Kate. I know what it's like, listening to the rescues, not being able to do anything. When the communications broke down that day I was terrified, we all were; Mr. Tracy, Brains, my father, grandma, and I. It's alright, Kate, I understand what it's like being left behind." Tin-tin explained. Kate turned around to face her mother.

"No, mum, you don't," Kate snapped, "I wasn't just scared, I was petrified, and I couldn't get any answers, I couldn't even contact you guys afterwards, which you know I always do after a rescue. I was up all of that night, trying to contact you, Uncle John, Auntie Penny, anybody, but there was nothing, and to make things worse, I had to pretend everything was FAB. I had to perform on stage the next day, and I was killing myself with worry pretty much the whole time" Kate faded off. She couldn't believe she'd almost let the awards secret out. Kate shook her head, mentally kicking herself up her backside. "It doesn't matter, anyway. I'm sorry mum, I just lost it for a bit there" Kate apologised, managing a small smile. Tin-tin smiled.

"It's alright, Kate. You needed to let off some steam. I could tell, hell, I grew up with your father" she laughed. Kate chuckled as her mother stood up.

"You'll come and see me if you feel the need to vent, won't you?" Tin-tin asked.

"Of course" Kate nodded

"Oh, by the way, I strongly advise that you don't vent anywhere near your grandfather" Tin-tin advised. Kate smiled.

"I'll keep that in mind" she assured her mother. Tin-tin smiled and left the room. Kate walked over to her window and leaned against her bookshelf. Kate sighed and slid down the wooden surface. She regretted yelling at her mother, but smiled. Now that she was thinking about it, she realised how much like her father she had sounded. She knew she was similar to him. She and 'the Boys' all seemed to take more after one of the Tracy boys from the previous generation. Peter was like his father, Scott, all over again, although he looked more like his mother. Matt was like Virgil, a budding artist who also had a funny streak, but he looked like Scott, with lighter hair. Nick was like Gordon, a big-time Practical joker and he looked like a taller, male version of his mother. Will was like John, quiet, calm, but he also possessed a very Alan like practical Jokers grin. He looked more like Alan, but his hair was more of a very light brown, rather that blond. Kate took after her father, hot headed, rash, loyal and brave. Kate had dark hair, lightened by the sun, and grey eyes. Kate smiled as she looked out onto the beach. She wasn't going to waste her first day back on the island, especially if she would be 'stranger-sitting' for the majority of the holidays

**A.N. Sorry this Chapter is so long. The next couple will probably be about the same. As always, please Read and Review. **


	7. Dreaming of the Terror

Chapter 7- Dreaming of the Terror

Kate strolled along the beach, gazing out over the Pacific Ocean. The water lapped gently against the sandy shore. Kate smiled. To her, this was paradise. The cliffs of Tracy Island towered above her as she rounded a corner and the main house came into sight. She could hear the calls of the many animals that called the topical Island. Kate gracefully stepped up the stairs that led from the beach to the house. Kate lay on one of the shaded lounges that were scattered around the pool deck and relaxed, closing her eyes. Although it was winter on the island, the weather was still warm. After a couple of minute rest, Kate jumped into the pool, and began swimming leisurely laps. Kate was disturbed when a loud splash emitted from the other end of the pool. Kate glanced up and smiled. Matt swam over to her, a wide cheeky grin spread across his face.

"What are you so happy about; I'm already in the pool?" Kate smiled.

"Oh, ha ha, very funny. I was actually just thinking about the 'Prank wars' and when the cease fire will end" Matt grinned. Kate smiled as she remembered what Matt was referring to. Ever since Kate had been eight years old, she and Will had pitted themselves against Nick and Matt for the title of 'Tracy Island resident Pranksters.' Kate and Will currently held that title, but a truce had been called while Kate had been at school. Now she was home, Kate knew that the trust will be called off, much to the horror of the older residents of the island.

"Are you sure you can take on the tow of us when you're going to be alone for most of the holidays" Kate asked mockingly

"Of course" Matt smirked, 'A pair of amateurs will be a cinch."

"I don't know, I've got some pretty neat pranks tucked up my sleave" Kate smiled, stepping out of the pool and wrapping a towel around herself. Matt followed suit and together they dried themselves of and raced each other to the showers.

Later that night, Scott, Virgil, Gordon, Alan, Peter and Will still hadn't returned. Kate, thoroughly exhausted from her long flight and still recovering from the night following the incident on T.V. had gone to bed, at her mother's insistence. Kate lay in her own bed, smiling. Regardless of however long she had stayed at school, her bed at home on the island was by far the most comfortable she knew. Kate slowly closed her eyes and fell into the swirling darkness that was sleep. As she slept, the Thunderbirds returned home.

"_Thunderbirds Are go" Said Jeff Tracy, formally starting International Rescues latest mission. A flood in Northern China was threatening the lives of the residents of a small village, as well a bomb making facility. Jeff frowned. He hadn't really approved of sending in Will an Matt, will had only been going on missions for just over six moths, but they did need the experience, so he had reluctantly agreed._

_The rescue site was chaos. The muddy floodwaters rushed through the village, the people trying to escape by climbing onto the thatched rooftops, but the floodwaters were rising. Thunder crashed in the background and lightning forks temporarily illuminated the sky. The driving rain that had caused the floods came down in sheets. The giant green aircraft that was Thunderbird 2 hovered over the devastation. A film crew were set up on the Cliffside. Slowly Thunderbird 2 began lowering four people as the sleek; rocket like Thunderbird 1 used its floodlight to pinpoint the locations of the terrified villagers, who were trying to see the lowering International operatives that would bring them aid. Kate stood, near the film crew, watching with horror as she recognised her family. She could see Virgil, her grandfathers, her mother, Aunt Penelope, Nick, Peter, Grandma, Uncle John, and Parker. Everyone not involved with the rescue was aboard Thunderbird 2. Kate yelled for them to remember the bomb making facility, but no-one could hear her. She could see the floodwaters approaching the facility. Kate watched as her brother, cousin, father and Uncle attempted to pump the flood away from the facility, now that the villagers had been saved, but it was too late. Kate yelled a warning as the entire world seemed to erupt. The smoke cleared and Kate looked down into the valley, dreading what she might see. Thunderbirds 1 and 2 were both still in the air, just. The village was gone, as was some of the Cliffside Kate was standing on. Kate watched, horrified as the engines of Thunderbird 2 whined and died, just like the TV. pictures had. Kate watched as, seconds later, the same happened to thunderbird 1. Kate yelled in agony as the two great craft plummeted into the floodwaters and to their passengers doom_

Kate woke up still yelling. She shivered, drenched in sweat. Kate let out a sob and buried her face in her legs, curling herself into a ball. A slight noise by the door disturbed her.

Will woke up, puzzled at what had caused his sudden return to wakefulness. He realised when he heard his baby sisters scream. He froze listening as the yell whined down into furious sobbing. Frowning, will got up and walked across his room, opening the door as quietly as he could and stepping down the corridor until her reached the next door on the same side as his. He knocked quietly and, upon not receiving a response, opened the door. Kate was curled up on her bed, crying and shaking. Will felt his brotherly instincts kick in as he immediately crossed the room to her and crouched beside her.

"Kat, Kate are you alright?" he asked, concerned. Kate looked up at him, her face tear streaked. She nodded weakly, and then burst into another fresh bout of tears. Will wrapped her into a hug, trying to sooth her like there mother had soothed him when he was little.

Kate whimpered. "I'm okay, just a bad dream, nothing to worry about"

"Bad dreams don't leave you yelling and screaming, come on, spill it, what was it about?" will ordered, climbing onto Kate's bed. It was squishy, but Kate was able to lie against the wall.

"It was just a bad dream about that rescue, my mind filling in the blanks, adding the rest of the family, giving you all a watery grave. Nothing really." Kate vaguely informed him. Will smiled.

"Aren't girls supposed to dream all happy stuff, you know, like fairytales, not depressing stuff like that?" Will asked, smiling at his own joke. Kate sobbed in reply. Will wrapped her in another hug and started rocking her gently, just like how he had watched his mother soothing Kate during their youth. Kate smiled.

"When was the last time we were like this?" she asked, highly amused.

Will paused, thinking, "I don't know, probably when you were seven or eight, maybe earlier, why?"

"Can you imagine how far the others would run if they saw us like this?' Kate seriously asked

"I don't think they'll ever find out, besides, they sleep at the other end of the house anyway" Will shrugged.

"Will?' Kate murmured

"Yeah?" Will looked down at Kate, who was still in his arms.

"What happened after the TV cameras blew on that rescue?" Kate asked. Will sighed and made himself comfortable beside Kate

"Well, the bombs blew, and things were a bit hairy for a couple of minutes. We pumped up as much of the flood as we could, then we took the villagers that were Ok to another village that was on higher ground. It was then we realised our radios weren't working. Then we took the injured ones to the local hospital and flew home. Once we got home, grandad blew his top; Mum went berserk and jumped all over me and Dad. Then Grandad showed us a tape of the rescue when we realised That You, Nick, Uncle John, Aunt Penny and Nosey wouldn't know what had happened. We tried all our mobiles, but nobody's was working. I think everybody knew that you would have freaked out; we waited for you to radio in, hoping you would be able to get through, but you didn't. It's OK, Kat, I would of freaked had our places been swapped." Will broke off as Socksy the cat jumped up on the bed. Kate absentmindedly stroked the cat. Will felt weariness approach him as he gently let his sister go. "Anyway," he yawned, "we were that relieved when Lady Penelope contacted us. We hoped you wouldn't o done something stupid in the meantime"

"You thought I would have done something stupid" Kate said, insulted.

"Well, yes, I actually did, and I was really worried about you" Will placed his arm protectively over Kate's side as she closed her eyes, dozing off once again. Will yawned and let his head drop onto Kate's pillow. The last thing he felt was Socksy curl up between the two teenagers, purring contentedly.

Virgil was returning from the toilet when he noticed the door to Kate's room was open. Curious, he crept down the passage and poked his head around the door. His jaw dropped as he saw Will and Kate curled up on the bed, Socksy purring in between them. He smiled, tiptoeing back to his room to fetch his camera.

**A.N. This is a little fluffier than how I usually write. Reviews will be taken into account. The next chapter should be up quickly. **


	8. The Morning After

Chapter 8- The Morning After

The next morning Kate woke up to her brother snoring. Kate smiled, and then froze as she remembered a dream. Kate shook her head. It had been a dream, nothing else. Carefully she climbed over Will's sleeping form and hurried to the showers.

When she was gone, Will opened his eyes. He groaned and sat up, his limbs stiff from the rescue on previous day. Will glanced around the room, searching for signs of his sister. He grinned when he heard the shower start. Yep, Kate was making her self right at home. Carefully, Will made his way back to his bedroom and got dressed. Then he walked down to the family dining room. Jeff, Scott, Virgil and Gordon wee already there. Will smiled his greetings, then grabbed himself some toast. Will raised his eyebrows at Virgil, who seemed like he was desperately fighting not to laugh whenever he looked at Will. Will was distracted by the arrival of his parents and Penelope, all of whom sat at their respective places at the table and joined already existing conversations. Will turned to face Gordon, preparing to ask when the cease fire would end.

The next group to enter was Peter, Matt and Kate. Kate's hair was still damp from her shower, and both of the boy's hair was tousled from their sleep. Will met Kate's eyes, and she looked away, grinning slightly. The newcomers sat at the table, and Jeff cleared his throat.

"Well, as you all know, we've got visitors coming to stay for just under four weeks today, so we need to undergo operation cover up. One of the visitors is my old NASA colleague, and he helped get some of the components for thunderbird 3's engines, but he is also bringing his Grandson with him, Kate's going to be his guide, is that fine, Kate?"

"FAB" Kate grinned, happy that she was finally allowed to be doing something for International Rescue.

"Right, Tin-tin, could you give Kate the run down on being a guide, although she probably knows it all already. Their plane will arrive just after lunch. Any questions?

There was a chorus of "yes sir's" and everyone tucked into breakfast. After breakfast, Tin-tin and Kate went outside to the pool deck; discussing Techniques Kate could use to keep their mystery guest unaware of the true objective of the 'family business.' Kate also learnt the best places to go while the Thunderbirds were taking off and returning from missions.

Will quietly approached Virgil, who was tinkering on his piano. He knew Virgil hated being disrupted whilst he was playing the piano, but Will had a burning question for him. Virgil noticed his youngest nephew standing behind him and grinned, having been timing how long it would take Will to come to him, enquiring about his behaviour over breakfast. Virgil pulled a folded copy of the photograph he had taken the previous night out of his pocket and turned to face his nephew.

"Hi Will, what's up?' he cheerfully asked. Will shrugged.

"Nothing much, I was going to ask you the same question. What was with all of the trying to stop laughing this morning?" Will asked. Virgil grinned.

"Well, I happened to be returning from a trip to the bathroom last night, when I happened to notice that Kate's bedroom door was open. I was curios, so I decided to take a quick look, and I was rewarded with a sight I never though I'd see again" Virgil handed Will the photo, grinning evilly. Frowning, will opened the photo and his jaw dropped as he looked upon himself, fast asleep, with Kate curled up in his arms, and Socksy lying next to his head. Will looked up at Virgil, and shook his head. Virgil burst out into gales of laughter. Will scowled.

"I fail to see what's funny" he snapped. Virgil looked up at him, wiping tears of joy out of his eyes.

"The look on your face is priceless, Will. I didn't know you two still did the cuddling thing. Last time I saw you doing that you were 9 and 11." He laughed. Will pouted.

"We haven't done it since then" Will scowled. Virgil just raised his eyebrows and nodded.

"I'm serious. I only was in there because she was crying and yelling in her sleep." Will told his uncle. Virgil stopped smiling.

"What! Why was Kate crying? Is she all right now? What happened" He asked hurriedly. It was Will's turn to grin.

"I'll make you a deal, you rip any copy of these you have, and I'll tell you" he sneered, gesturing at the photo. Virgil sighed.

"Alright, pass it over" he held out his hand. Will gave it to him, and Virgil ripped it up. Will grinned.

"Now I'll tell you. She had a nightmare about that rescue with the TV cameras. She told me that her mind filled in the gaps. She said that it wasn't just us in Thunderbird 2, it was all of us, you know, mum, and grandfather, and everyone. Then apparently, both Thunderbirds' 1 and 2 crashed into the flood, and we all died. It upset her a bit, hell, she's only a kid." Will shook his head and sat beside Virgil, whose head was bowed.

"She's only two years younger than you, Will. What would you think if you dreamt something like that? Do you remember how seriously miffed grandad was when we got back, and you're mum was in hysterics. I mean, Penelope told Scott, Grandfather, Alan and Tin-tin that Kate was crying all over the place before we made radio contact. She seriously thought something bad had happened. I honestly wasn't surprised when she broke down when she got here. She'll be okay in a couple of days. Does your mum and dad know about last night?" Virgil muttered. Will quietly shook his head.

"Nope, not unless you told them"

"I recon you should tell them, they need to know" Virgil whispered

"I know, I was going to do it after I asked you what you're problem was. Now that I know, I'll go tell dad"

"Why not ask your mum?" Virgil asked

"Because she's giving Kate the 'how to do operation cover up' lecture" Will grinned, rolling his eyes. Virgil grinned.

"Well, that seems to be a good excuse." He admitted, turning back to his music

Will found his father down in the pool room. He was talking to Gordon about past pranks they had pulled off.

"Do you remember the time we mixed pink hair dye with Scott's shampoo' Alan grinned. Gordon laughed.

"Yeah, I'll never forget the look on his face. He was so peeved.'

"Especially because he had a date with one of the cheerleaders the next day" Alan giggled. Both men burst into peals of laughter, while Will watched, his eyebrows raised.

"Gee, you two were really bad when you were kids" he muttered, sitting down on one of the wooden bar stools that were scattered around the room.

"Well, we had plenty of opportunities during our youth. Mother Hen was our favourite target." Gorgon grinned. Will frowned.

"Who was Mother Hen" he asked. Gordon shook his head at Alan.

"Alan, I'm ashamed to call you my fellow youngest. You haven't told your son about Mother Hen?" Alan grinned apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Gordon, I never thought it was important, or that he would really care. Will, Mother Hen was Scott. When we were growing up, Scott would make sure that we stayed out of trouble. He would mother us so much; it was like he was our parent, instead of our brother." Alan explained. Will chuckled.

"So that explains how screwed up you two are, you were Scott's guinea pigs" he joked. Alan and Gordon both glared at him, pretending to be insulted. Will grinned cheekily. Alan looked at Gordon with his eyebrows raised.

"Shall we" he offered. Alan grinned wickedly.

"Let's" he nodded. Gordon and Alan stepped around the pool table. Will hastily got up when he saw the malicious look in his father and uncle's eyes.

"Guy's, I was kidding, you do know that right. Mum would yell at you if I got hurt. Dad I need to talk to you about Kat. Guys, this isn't funny" Will panicked; his pleads falling on deaf ears. Gordon wrapped Will in a bear hug and started tickling him. Will yelled in protest as he father joined the fray. Will struggled against the two older men, but he didn't stand a chance. Finally, Will ceased struggling, and the two older men let him go. Gordon glanced at his watch and grinned.

"What?" Alan asked.

"Excuse me, I have a date with the pool" responded Gordon, grabbing his jacket and running out of the room. Will nervously clear his throat.

"Um dad, there's something I need to tell you." Alan frowned. Will was usually very up beat and cheerful, only being serious when he was on rescues.

"What's wrong, Will?" Alan asked, concerned.

"Last night, did you hear anything odd?" Will queried. Alan shook his head.

"No, why?"

"Because I woke up to hear Kate yelling in her sleep. I went into her room, and she was all cuddled up, bawling her eyes out"

Alan swore, "Did she say why?"

"She told me that she'd had a nightmare about that rescue, you know, the flood. She told me that her mind was filling in the blanks, and hat she saw all of us there, grandad, Aunt Penny, Parker, everyone. Then she said how" Will faded off, not wanting to keep going.

"Yes, Will" Alan prompted

"How after the explosion Thunderbirds One and Two crashed into the flood, and we all died." Will hastily finished the story. Alan swore again.

"Poor kid, damn, I knew she'd been upset about it, but what if this has screwed her up. What did you do afterwards?"

"I tried to calm her down, and we ended up falling asleep all cuddled up to each other, just like we did when we were kids. Uncle Virgil had a photo of it, but I made him rip it up. Please don't tell any of the other boys about this dad, I don't think Kate would want it to become everyday knowledge that she freaked out" Will told his father. Alan nodded and patted Will on the back.

"You did the right thing, son" he murmured. Will nodded and headed for the door.

"I hope so, dad" he answered, before leaving the room

**A.N. Please review; anyone guessed who the guests to Tracy Island are? Review and tell me, and I'll tell you if you're right. **


	9. What on Earth are you doing here?

Chapter 9 – What on Earth are you doing here?

Kate sighed as she headed back to her room. She'd just been instructed on 'Operation Cover Up.' She snorted. She already knew it all, she hadn't lived for 16 years at the base of International rescue and not picked up where the best places to go to not see or hear the Thunderbirds taking off or returning. Kate opened the door to her room and glanced at her watch. Their guest was due in just over half an hour which gave Kate enough time to go for a run around the island. Kate grabbed her ipod and pulled on her sneakers, before jogging out past her uncle Gordon in the pool and down onto the beach. Kate regulated her speed once she was out onto the beach. She jogged along, her ipod blaring music into her ears. She could feel her heart pounding within her chest. Kate looked over her shoulder, smiling as she noticed the lone set of footprints churned into the sand. She jogged onwards, her breath coming in steady blows. Kate noisily exhaled and hurried onwards, glancing at her watch. A brief thought flashed through her mind, maybe she really didn't have enough time to run around the island. There would be hell to pay if she was late. Kate grimaced. There was nothing she could do about that now, all she could do was keep going.

Kate swore when she heard the plane flying low overhead. She was defiantly going to be late. She pumped her arms harder and started to sprint. With a bit of luck she'd be able to get to the runway before her absence was noticed. She wouldn't have time to get out of her sweaty gear, but oh well; it wasn't like she was trying to impress anyone. Kate sprinted up the beach, and took a side path that she knew would take her to the end of the runway. Kate skidded to a halt when she reached her destination. A small, private jet was already parked on the tarmac, and the passengers were disembarking. The first to depart was an elderly man who instantly strode to Jeff began greeting him jovially. Kate was still standing at the end of the runway when the second figure appeared. He was tall, with dark, spiked up hair. Kate saw him look out to the ocean, and look at her. He waved, and Kate's jaw dropped.

"Daniel, what on earth are you doing here?" she yelled, racing towards the plane. Daniel scrambled down the stairs and stepped clear of the plane, just as Kate jumped into his arms. Daniel laughed and swung her around, whilst Kate squealed.

"Enjoying the holiday's, what are you doing here?" he jested. Kate looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"Uh, I live here" she told him, her voice sarcastic.

"Really?" he laughed. Kate glared at him

"What exactly do you find so funny?" she snapped, pretending to be annoyed.

"The look on your face was priceless" he snorted. Kate playfully slapped his arm.

"Well, if you had told me that you were coming, I would've at least made sure that I wasn't all sweaty when you arrived."

"I wanted to surprise you"

"Well, you did" Kate grinned. A loud noise from where the adults were standing interrupted their playful banter.

"Am I right in guessing that you two know each other?' Virgil asked, clearly voicing the question that was on most, if not all, of the adults presents mind. Kate found herself nodding.

"Yeah, we go to school together" she told him, smiling. Virgil nodded as Gordon passed him one of the bags, and spoke in a undertone to his second youngest brother

"Looks like they do a lot more together than just go to school." Gordon snorted with laughter, and looked at the teenagers, who were following Jeff and the elderly Mr. Smith up the path that lead up to the Tracy family Villa.

After Daniel and his grandfather had settled into the guest rooms, Kate took Daniel on a tour around the house, and the surrounding jungle. While they were out on the pool deck, 'The Boys' came sprinting out of the dense undergrowth and canonballed into the pool, soaking Kate and Daniel. Kate swore under her breath.

"What on earth are you guys up to?" she yelled. Peter grinned wickedly.

"What gave you the impression that we were up to anything?" he asked, smirking. Kate made a face at her oldest cousin.

"Because you're always up to something" she informed him. Will laughed, nd looked up at his sister. Their eyes met, and she winked, telling him that what had occurred the previous night had not affected their friendship.

"She knows us so well, Peter, You can't hide it from her" he began, but he was instantly cut off by Kate.

"Hide WHAT from me, exactly" she snapped. Peter, Matthew and Will exchanged nervous glances, and looked around for a way of escape, but to no avail.

"Err, well, we sort off" Matt began nervously

"Yes," prompted Kate

"We put numerous not so pleasant smelling plants into the radiator of FAB1, Parker isn't all that impressed." Peter admitted. Kate shook her head

"It is easy to clean up, once you figure out where it is" Will hastily told his sister. Kate couldn't control herself anymore and burst into fits of laughter.

"You guys are so totally dead, Parkers going to kill you" she giggled. She glanced sideways at Daniel and noticed the utterly bewildered look on his face. Kate mentally swore when she realised he didn't have a clue what was going on. Kate regained her composure.

"Sorry Daniel, This is my older brother, Will, and my two cousins, Peter and Matt." Kate introduced. A loud noise was heard from down the path leading to the runway, and Kate and 'the boys' knew who it came from.

"Let's get out of here" Matt suggested. Peter nodded, and the three older boys scrambled madly from the pool. Kate glanced at Daniel, a slight grin plastered over he face.

"We're going to be implicated as well, you know" she told him. Her grin was imitated on his face.

"He did sound a little annoyed." Daniel admitted.

"You two coming" Will called. Kate and Daniel hesitated for a second, before bolting into the Jungle, laughing freely.


	10. Only Temporarily

Chapter 10

The days passed by, and Kate found herself enjoying the holidays more than usual. She and Daniel spent the majority of their time together, talking, relaxing, playing music, and plotting and taking part in pranks. She knew that her family suspected their was something going on, Kate thought they were being foolish if they didn't suspect something, but she ignored the raised eyebrows and whispered comments well. They spent the great majority of their time in 'the cave,' a small cave that fronted onto the beach not far from the main Villa that Kate, with some help from her family, had made into a mini music room, that she could play whatever she wanted in. As far as Kate was concerned, it was one of the best bits of living on a tropical island in the middle of the pacific. Daniel found it good in there too, as it allowed them to practice songs for the band, and to write new songs without being overheard by others. It also gave them ultimate alone time, where they could discuss thing that they hadn't already discussed at school. Kate thought it was the perfect place for she and Daniel to spend the day, and it also was one of the locations that you couldn't hear the roar of a Thunderbirds engines as they returned or departed.

One evening, not long after the guest's arrival, the Tracy family was seated around the lounge. Daniel and his grandfather had gone to bead early, leaving the Tracy family alone. Kate was sitting on one of the numerous couches, scribbling prank ideas down on a piece of paper. She had numerous ones that she had thought of during the school term and now she could execute them. She had already taken part in a few pranks since she had returned to her home, but they were really just her warm up pranks. Will had also been plotting through out the school term, staying in contact as far as joke ideas went. For the length of that evening, she and Will had been sending prank ideas across the room to each other, folded up into the shape of paper airplanes. Kate giggled as she received a particularly good one.

"What are you chuckling about over there?" asked Scott

"Yeah, I'm interested too" Virgil added looking over his magazine. Kate and Will looked at each other.

"Nothing" Kate told them

"You don't want to know" Will added. Scott and Virgil thought for a moment, before conceding that they did indeed, not want to know. Gordon and Alan, however, chuckled.

"Quiet boys, I want to talk to you all about something." Jeff told Gordon and Alan off, before pressing a hidden button behind his desk. Thick, soundproof doors slid into place, preventing anyone from outside the room hearing what was being discussed inside.

"Right, now, As you all know, there will be a supply run up to Thunderbird 5 next week. This will leave us short staffed, especially with Gordon going to the mainland on leave two days before, and Peter, you're on a break. I think, because of this, Matthew will co pilot Thunderbird three with Alan."

"Father, we'll be left with only three operatives on the scene" exclaimed Scott, "and Will's not all that experienced in Danger zones'."

"I know, Scott, but there isn't much we can do about it."

"Excuse me, Jeff, but there is something that we can do" Grandma Tracy said, breaking the tension in the room. Jeff looked at his mother, surprised.

"Mother, what do you suggest?"

"That we bring young Kate in. She has spent time in those flights training simulators you boys use, hasn't she?" A stunned silence reigned over the room as the family absorbed the possible impact of the statement.

"It could actually work" Scott admitted.

"What do you two think, its completely up to you" Jeff asked Alan and Tintin. Kate faced her parents, looking deep into their eyes. Alan and Tintin looked at their daughter. She still seemed so small, but they both knew she was ready. She'd been ready for some time. They glanced at each other, before turning to face Jeff once more.

"Yes, Kate can go if there's a mission during the shortage" Alan spoke for them both. Kate's jaw dropped in shock. They were actually letting her go? Kate got to her feet and ran to her parents, embracing them.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you so much" she whispered under her breath to them. Alan and Tintin smiled.

Jeff quietly dismissed everyone else and turned off the soundproof doors. Kate left the room with Will, while everyone else dissolved away to their evening activities. Eventually, it was only Jeff and his mother remaining. Mrs. Tracy sobbed slightly into a handkerchief.

"What is the matter, mother?" Jeff asked, concerned, the elderly woman sniffled slightly

"Little Kate's grown up so quick. I'll be so busy making up her uniform. It didn't seem so long ago when she came home from the hospital. She was such a little dear.

"They all have to grow up at some time, mother," Jeff reminded her fondly. Mrs. Tracy sighed.

"I suppose so" she admitted.

­­­

Early the next morning, Kate and Daniel set out along the beach, carrying their guitar cases on their backs. They jogged through the rich, golden sand, leaving a pair of footprint trails in the sand. Kate lead Dan along the beach, until they came to a small inlet on the opposite side of the island as the main house. Kate walked along the beach, flanking the Cliffside closely. Eventually, they reached a hole in the cliff wall, and they both scrambled into the cave. Kate carefully turned a hidden switch in the wall, and the metal wall that protected the caves interior from being flooded during high tide began to lower into the rocky floor of the cave. Once the wall was only about half a meter (approx 20 inches for readers who use imperial measures) high, the two teenagers climbed over it and entered a small cavern room. Kate flicked a small switch, and lights flicker on, illuminating the previously darkened room. The room was small, with large, waterproof, compartments built into the walls. The two teenagers opened up the compartments, revealing musical related equipment, including a synthesizer, several microphones, and some speakers. Kate started to set up the equipment, while Dan tuned up the guitars. She could since that he was watching her, and a slight blush rose in her cheeks as she smiled.

"You seem different today, Kate." Dan commented as he adjusted his guitar strap. Kate paused.

"How?" she asked, silently cursing under her breath.

"You just seem happier, more optimistic. Ever since I've been at the Island, you've seemed, just, unhappier, as if you were upset about something, but now, your acting normal."

Kate looked up at him, smiling slightly.

"Well, normal for you, anyway" Dan joked. Kate laughed and threw a scrunched up piece of scrap paper at him.

"Thanks for the confidence, friend. At least now you've met my family, you know where I got the craziness from" she joked. Dan laughed at her sarcasm.

"Yeah, your brothers, cousins, and uncles. They're all brilliant"

"They aren't so brilliant when you have to spend the entire holidays with them." Kate told him, "Especially if you're the youngest. They have a way of seeing more of your faults, and not seeing your real age, always believing that you're younger that you really are" she told him. Their eyes met, and Dan looked away

"Families are always like that" he told her.

**A.N. Sorry it's been so long, I've been really busy. Please read and review, and I'll update as soon as I can. **


	11. An invasion of Privacy

Chapter 11

Late the next afternoon, Kate and Dan slowly returned to the villa. They had left very early in the morning, leaving a note to their respective guardians on the kitchen table, and taking a packed lunch of sandwiches and fruit with them so they could spend the full day out. The majority of the day had been spent in the cave, practicing, and listening to music, but at lunch time, Kate had taken Dan up to a secluded rock that overlooked the pacific, high up on the cliffs, and they had shared a picnic. Side by side, they headed for the villa. They were not greeted by anyone upon their arrival, which struck them both as odd, especially with a household of that size. Dan went to the guest bathroom he shared with his Grandfather to wash up before dinner, while Kate headed back to her own room. It was only when she had opened the door to her room, which she usually kept closed when she wasn't there, that she realized something was wrong. Her desk drawer was wide open. Kate froze, and then shook her head, stepping forwards. She sifted through the documents in the drawer. Everything was there, except, she realized with a pang, the wooden box holding her certificated. Her eyes flew to her bedside table, where the keys were kept in a small box. The box was wide open. Kate swore and bolted out of the room, running full pelt towards the lounge. She tore down the stairs, taking two at a time. She practically flew into the lounge, her eyes fixed on her parents. They both looked up at her, and Kate let her jaw drop as she spotted the box holding her awards resting on her father's lap. Nervous, she stepped forward.

"Mum, Dad, where did you get that?" she asked

"Matt happened to be looking for a CD that he'd leant you, and he found it. He saw what was written on it, and thought we should look at it." Kate felt anger surge through her.

"That stuff's private" she told them, "Matt shouldn't have gone snooping. He invaded my privacy." Kate realized her voice was rising.

"Kate, this stuff is important."

"Really, how do you know?" Kate interrupted. She knew everyone was staring at her, but she ignored it.

"Er, I'm afraid that was my doing, Miss Tracy" Parker admitted from the door to the kitchen. Kate whipped around and stared at him, her eyes shining with angry tears.

"What?" she asked. Parker took a deep, nasal breath.

"You see, I saw your parents with that box, and I knew what was in it, and I thought that you had given it to them and told them what it was, so I told them that they were school certificates." Kate blinked back tears as she turned to face her parents once more.

"So, now you know the secret. Are you happy now? Are you pleased, or disappointed, or What?"

"We haven't even opened it yet Kate, what's wrong?" asked a very confused Alan. Kate glared at him, feeling anger, relief, disappointment, confusion, and sadness all at once.

"Then don't. Don't bother. You never did care. It was always the others first. Always the precious sons' first, always everyone else first. You never cared, admit it. You know what, I got used to it. Do you know what it was like, being away for so much of the year? Always knowing that however well you did at school, it was never enough; it had always already done by someone else in the family." Kate yelled, tears pouring down her face. Alan and Tin-tin got up, as did Jeff, but Kate turned away, running back up the stairs towards her room. She brushed past Dan at the landing, but didn't say a word to him. Dan followed her to her room, but stopped when she closed the door in his face, obviously not wanting to talk to him. He slowly turned around and headed to the study, which he discovered to, be a commotion.

"Um, is it just me, or did I miss something?" he asked Will.

TB TB TB TB TB

Later that evening, John made contact with the island. Jeff was alone in the lounge at the time, so he slid down the soundproof walls, and opened up the radio line.

"Go ahead, John"

"Hello father. How have you and the rest of the family been?"

"Erm, alright, I guess. Things are fairly strained at the moment, but hopefully it will blow over, soon."

"Father, funny you should mention 'blowing over'"

"Really, why is that?"

"Looks like you guys better bunker down, there is a cyclone heading for the island. The eye doesn't pass over you, but you're still going to have high winds, heavy rain, and a pretty huge storm surge. Looks like International Rescue might be closed down for a bit until it blows over"

"Alright John, thanks for the warning. When is it scheduled to hit?"

"Probably about 10:00 tomorrow morning father."

"Thanks John. We'll be ready. Anything else we should know about?"

"No, everything else seems calm."

"Okay John, avoid any unnecessary contact tomorrow, looks like we'll be pretty busy. I'll contact you once we're all clear."

"Alright Father, be careful"

"Of course, goodnight John."

"Goodnight father" John signed off, and Jeff, groaning slightly, got up from his desk and, deactivating the soundproof doors, hurried to share this new news with the rest of the family. It was not uncommon for Tracy Island to be struck by cyclones, but the residents were well used to the procedure. The windows were boarded up, and all outside equipment was carefully brought inside, or secured in such a way that it couldn't blow off. At Alan and Tin-tin's request, Kate would not be disturbed until the morning, so she was excluded form the preparations.

TB TB TB TB TB

By dawn the next morning, the island was relatively prepared for the cyclone that was due to hit in a matter of hours, but already there was signs of its looming arrival. The trees around the island waved as the wind picked up speed, and the water line was rising, pushed up the beaches by the storm surge.

Tin-tin knocked on Kate's bedroom door, but was surprised when she received no response. She opened the door, and she felt cold wind up against her ace. Her eyes scanned the room, getting progressively wider. Kate's window was wide open, and her bed was, obviously, not slept in. Tin-tin raced to the open window and looked out. The thin layer of dust that covered the outer windowsill had been recently disturbed, and Tin-tin realized that Kate would have, very easily, been able to fit through the window. Tin-tin's hand flew to her mouth ad she ran out of the room, towards the lounge, where everyone else was.

"Kate's not in her room. I think she's run off." she cried out. Alan leapt to his feet.

"What?"

"Her window was wide open, and the dust on the outside had been disturbed."

"It's possible," Will added, "I've seen her climb out her window and down the big tree near it"

"She can't have gone far. We live on an Island" Gordon pointed out the obvious.

"Your right Gordon. There are only so many places she could've gone to" Jeff calmly reminded everyone.

"Where would she have gone?" Virgil asked.

"The lookout point" suggested Matt

"The Beach?" Gordon asked.

"The cave?" Will quietly chimed in. Silence fell across the room.

"That's where she would have gone" admitted Alan.

"Hang on, that cave floods" Tin-tin cried out, hysteria setting in. Everyone looked out at the choppy water. Most of the beach was covered with water, and the water level was quickly rising. Jeff reached under his desk and pulled out the two way radio he used when he wanted to contact a particular area of the island. When the cave had been renovated, it had been joined onto the network.

"Gordon, Peter and Virgil, go get a boat and swimming gear, and go check it out." Jeff instructed, as he set up the radio. The trio left the room as Jeff started speaking into the radio.

"Villa lounge to cave, do you receive Kate? Villa lounge to Cave, do you copy?"

TB TB TB TB

Kate sat crossed legged in the cave, gently strumming on her guitar. She'd been there all night, alternating between dozing, listening to music, and playing music on her guitar. Inside, she was still fuming. How dare they take her certificates. They were private. They were happy thinking they didn't exist, and now they'd feel guilty for missing the presentations. She'd kept the certificates hidden to protect her family, and it was all for nothing. Kate scowled and strummed harder, before a crackling noise disrupted her. She glanced up at the two way radio, noting the flashing light that indicated to her that she had an incoming message. Kate scowled even more and picked up the radio, putting it into one of the water proof compartments

"I don't want to talk to you" She told the radio, before slamming the compartment closed.


	12. Trapped!

Chapter 12

Kate went back to fiddling with her guitar after she got rid of the radio, savoring the silence. She could hear the gently lapping of water, and smiled, enjoying the relaxing sound. She sat like that for a long time, her leg muscles getting progressively more cramped, her eyes closed as she became caught up in the sound of her soft strumming, and the gentle lapping of water. She gave a start however, when she woke up, unable to believe that she had fallen asleep. Kate shook her head, trying to clear it. It was then that she realized what had caused her abrupt return to consciousness. Her foot was wet. Kate was perched on top of a bench, sitting crossed legged, with one foot dangling off the benches edge. The dangling foot was wet. Puzzled, Kate leant forward and looked down. The cave was flooding. The bench she was perched on was about a meter high, and the water was almost reached to top. Kate swore under her breath, and began franticly shoving things into their relevant waterproof compartments in the wall, thankful that all of the compartments were still above the water line. Convinced that everything had been put away, Kate waded through the water towards the cave entrance. The protective wall was still in its lowered position, invisible beneath the swirling water. Kate knew it would be foolish to try and move the wall now, as it would make the cave airtight, and Kate didn't know how long the flooding would last. Instead, she could only watch as the water level grew higher, becoming level with her shoulders. Kate swam back into the caves center, and climbed onto the top of the bench, which was completely submerged. She gripped tightly onto one of the overhead pipes, hoping that the water would not rise that high. She cursed under her breath as she thought of how the two way radio had received that message, and how she had tossed it away in her anger. They'd been trying to contact her, warn her of the flood danger. Kate shook her head, trying to focus on the positive, but the thought remained imprinted in the back of her mind. It was her own fault she was in this situation. The water was rising quickly, swirling around her knees. She could feel the under current tugging at her feet, but she gripped tightly onto the overhead pipe.

The water was up to Kate's waist when she realized that this was not a normal high tide. She frowned. The cyclone season was over, or at least, it was usually over by this time of year. Kate knew from experience that cyclones could form at least three months on either side of the cyclone season, and as the flood waters rose, Kate suspected things were just as hairy on the surface.

TB TB TB TB TB

Alan, Tintin, and the remaining occupants of the Island sat in the comfort of the lounge, listening and watching through the reinforced glass as the cyclone tore its way across the island. The stormy surf pounding upon the rocks. Jeff winced as he thought of the others out in the boat, or of Kate, trapped in the cave. He could see form the others eyes, that they too were thinking of the family members conspicuously absent.

Alan and Tintin sat with their arms wrapped around each other, fear for their daughter evident in their eyes. Tintin had tears running down her pale cheeks, and Alan was finding it difficult to keep his eyes from welling up too. In his hands lay the box, the one that had started this whole incident. Half of his mind, the youthful, impulsive half, wanted to throw it out into the storm, while the other half, the caring and compassionate half, wanted to cradle it close to him, so he could imagine it was Kate, safe, and out of harms way. Alan eyed the box, and the keys that opened it curiously. Shifting slightly so Tintin could see what he was doing, he placed the right key in the lock, and carefully turned it. Tintin straightened slightly.

"Do you think we should be doing this?" she asked. He nodded, and opened the lid.

TB TB TB TB TB

Gordon, Peter and Virgil sat in the Tracy family boat as they fought through the rough seas towards the cave's entrance, which was completely submerged by the Storm serge. Wordlessly, Gordon and Peter began pulling on their diving equipment, while Virgil stood at the wheel, trying to get as close to the cave's mouth as he could, without gashing the boat's hull against the rocks, the waves and choppy water making his life more difficult. Eventually, the pair was ready, and after they tested their oxygen tanks, as well as the additional tank they would give to Kate when they found her. Gordon would carry that, as he was by far the more experience diver of the two.

"You two sure about this?" Virgil asked above the roar of the wind. Gordon and Peter nodded, although Peter was eyeing the ferocious waves with some anxiety. The pair pulled their goggles over their eyes and slipped into the surf.

TB TB TB TB TB

Kate swallowed nervously as the water swirled around her neck. Her arms ached from where she was holding the pipe. She now had her full body weight upon the pipe, having abandoned the bench top half an hour ago. The pipe, however, was groaning against the extra weight. Kate whimpered, and felt tears slide down her face. She had a maximum of 30 cm of air left before the cave would completely flood, and at the rate the water was raising at, that would last her all of five minutes, if she didn't run out of oxygen beforehand. She winced as the pipe creaked and groaned from beneath her arms, before finally giving way, and snapping under the weight.


	13. Rescue

Chapter 13

Kate broke through the surface of the water, coughing and spluttering on the water she had swallowed. She took a deep breath whilst treading water, and instantly gagged on the air, wrinkling her nose in disgust as the smell of gas reached her. Holding her breath, she swam away from the broken pipe, repeating in her mind words that were not appropriate for civilized conversation. Once she was as far from the broken pipe as she could get, she took a breath, the gas's odor still lingering in the air. Kate sobbed and took another breath, leaning her head back to keep her mouth above water. She knew she was going to die now. She'd die from the fumes of the gas, or drown. She glared at the broken pipe she knew was spewing forth gas every second. She began to fill dizzy as the gas begun to affect her. Weakly, she kept treading water, breathing deeply, and each breath became a struggle as the water rose even higher.

Kate felt herself slide in oblivion as the cave filled with water, and her lifeless body begun to sink into the dark depths.

TB TB TB TB TB

Alan and Tintin sifted through the collection of awards from within the tin. The ones on top were dated the most recent, and progressively got older, until they reached the year that Kate had started at school.

"There's so many" commented Will, who had been watching his parents. Tintin looked at the few in her hand, her eyes welling up in tears.

"Why didn't she tell us about this?" she asked Alan, who shrugged. They spread the certificates onto a table, and the entire family was looking at them. The only one not looking was Dan, who was looking out the window at the stormy sea, his face set in a scowl.

"I still don't understand why we weren't told about this." Exclaimed Alan, frustrated. Dan whipped around, facing the Tracy family.

"Its because she didn't want to hurt any of your feelings, that's why. She knew that you'd all be so caught up in the 'Family business' that you would not be able to come. She kept going on about having to have a certain number of people on duty at one time, and that someone else was always on holidays at that time of year, so her own parents couldn't be spared. She thinks this business comes before her own happiness, and so, because she thought that none of you could come, she didn't bother telling you. You have no idea how upset it would make her, having to watch every other kid receiving a award have their parents in the crowd, even though she'd try and hide it, even from her friends" he snapped, saying more than he had initially intended to.

"Dan" scolded his grandfather.

"No, it's alright. Is this the truth; that she didn't tell us because she thought the family business came before her, and that we wouldn't be able to come?" asked Alan. Tintin burst into tears, and the remaining members of the Tracy family exchanged guilty glances.

TB TB TB TB TB

Gordon and Peter swam towards the cave's mouth, focused on their goal. Both of them could feel the underwater currents trying to force them of their path, but they swam forward strongly. Gordon in the lead, carrying the extra oxygen tank, with Peter following closely. Carefully, Gordon navigated his way through the cave entrance, leaving sufficient room for the addition bulk of the oxygen tanks, and swam into the cavern, instantly heading for the surface.

"Uncle Gordon, is she there?' asked Peter through the waterproof microphone and speaker's built into their scuba masks.

"I'm not sure. The cave is completely flooded though," Gordon admitted into the mike, scanning the dark water for any sign of Kate, "Wait, hang on, Peter, I think I've found her. Stand by"

"Okay, Uncle Gordon" Peter sighed, relief evident in his voice. Gordon swam quickly through the water, until he reached Kate's limp body, lying on the cave floor. He slipped mask attached to the spare oxygen tank over her face, before gathering her in his arms, and swimming towards the cave's entrance. He struggled against the tide, gripping tightly onto Kate's limp form. Slowly, he swam back through the cave entrance, buffeted by the raging surf. Finally, Gordon swam upwards, breaking the chopped up surface with a splash. Peter swam towards him as Gordon pulled the oxygen mask from Kate's face, and felt at her neck for a pulse. His face grew grim as he felt the weakest tremble of a pulse beneath his fingers.

"Is she alive?" Peter yelled over the roar of the wind as Gordon began to tow Kate towards the boat.

"Yes, her pulse is weak though. We need to get her out of the water though." Gordon yelled back. The two swimmers headed towards the boat, knocked off course by the large waves repetitively. Gordon cursed under his breath as he was knocked underneath the water by a wave. Swimming franticly to the surface, Gordon held Kate above the water, hoping that the exposure to air would encourage her to keep breathing. As they reached the side of the boat, Virgil bent over the side of the boat, his arms outstretched. Gordon and Peter both lifted Kate into Virgil's waiting arms, before hauling themselves up into the boat.

Virgil carefully laid Kate down on the floor of the boat, brushing a strand of her hair from her face. He held his cold hands above Kate's mouth waiting for the feeling of warm air on his hand that would indicate to him that she was breathing. It never came. Virgil looked up in horror at where Gordon and Peter were sitting, watching expectedly.

"She's not breathing" he whispered.

**A.N. haha. I'm evil. Another Cliffe. It might be awhile between updates, but reviews will encourage me to update sooner.**


	14. Conversations

Chapter 15

Chapter 14

Virgil rolled Kate onto her side, tilting her head backwards as she checked her airways, as Peter and Gordon exchanged horrified glances. Kate wasn't breathing. It couldn't be true. Kate had always been so confident. She couldn't be dead, not yet. She was only a kid. Her life had barely begun.

A sudden wave smashed into the side of the boat, drenching them all with water. Spluttering, Gordon leapt to his feet and steered the boat away from the rocky cliff face. As he drove the boat back towards the villa, he glanced frequently over his shoulder at where Virgil, who had been joined by Peter, tried to empty Kate's lungs of water. After just under a minute, but had seemed like forever, of being on the bottom of the boat, Kate's body shuddered, and she coughed violently, bringing up a large volume of sea water. Virgil held her up as she coughed up the water, holding her above the puddle that had formed. Kate gave a heaving breath, followed by a few little coughs. She weakly raised her head, and Virgil lay her down on her side again. Blinking water from her eyes, Kate looked up at him and Peter.

"Kat, you okay, mate?" Peter asked, brushing her hair from her face. Kate nodded.

"I think so" she whispered, still too tired to really manage anything louder.

"You had us scared, kid." Gordon called back over the roar of the boats motor.

"I did?" Kate asked, her eyebrows raised skeptically.

"Yeah, first you go running off to that cave, then you don't respond to the radio call, then we haul your unconscious, non breathing, butt out of that cave, when it's completely filled with water. Of course we were scared."

"Yeah, when you put it that way, it does seem pretty scary." She admitted. Virgil carefully sat her up, and wrapped her in a thermal blanket.

"So, Cyclone, I'm guessing" Kate commented looking up at the stormy sky. Peter nodded. Virgil went to help Gordon Pilot the boat into the small harbor that the main villa looked out upon. Kate looked up at the Villa, and could see the lights from the lounge.

"Ah, Home sweet home" Peter smiled, as the torrential rain began to fall once more.

"Really. I'm gonna have to start calling you King of the Merpeople then, cos this is way too wet for my liking," Alana paused, "and cold too" she shivered. Peter noticed the movement, and grabbed a second thermal blanket for his cousin.

"They call me Trident" he grinned, and Kate half laughed as Gordon steered the boat into the now flooded garage like building which the Tracy family kept their boats when they weren't being used. Pulling the boat into its respective spot, Gordon shut off the motor, and Virgin scrambled onto the Jetty, securing the boat with ropes. Kate shakily got to her feet, and stepped onto the small jetty, that was now underwater.

"C'mon, lets go" Gordon beckoned as climbed out of the boat. The small group stumbled out of the boathouse into the wind. Kate was nearly blown off her feet by the sheer force of the wind. They scrambled into the relative shelter of the jungle, walking along a narrow path, and using the trees to shield them from the fierce wind, and driving rain. Eventually, they got to a large hill, and Gordon pulled aside a curtain of vines, to reveal a ventilation shaft that led to the main villa. The group crawled in, savoring the ensuring shelter and comparative safety of the tunnel. Virgil hooked a torch from his backpack, and led the way as they crawled through the gloom.

TB TB TB TB TB

Kate dropped heavily to the ground from the overhead ventilation shaft, falling in a heap onto the cold, wet ground just near the back door to the villa. Gently, Virgil hauled her back up, and lifted her into his arms as Gordon pushed the door open. The four entered the house, and Gordon pulled the door shut behind them. Kate struggled in Virgil's arms, so he put her down. Weariness was obvious on the girl's face, and the days events had taken their toll on her. Kate swayed on her feet for a moment, before she regained her balance. Slowly and quietly, they walked through the main foyer of the villa, walking towards the main lounge of the villa, where they knew the entire family would be waiting for news.

Their feet squeaked slightly on the polished tile floors of the villa. Peter led the way, followed by Kate and Virgil, with Gordon bring up the rear. They climbed up a flight of stairs, and the welcoming lights of the lounge came into view. Kate stopped walking as they drew closer.

"What's the matter, Kate?" Virgil asked, concerned.

"I've been a absolute brat, haven't I? I almost got you guys killed. I should just go up to my room now; I don't think the others will want to see me. Besides, I basically just blew operation cover up with that little stunt. I mean, how many people would be that confident to go into a situation like that with virtually no training."

"Don't be silly" Gordon muttered, "Of course the others will want to see you, especially your parents.

"Don't worry about operation cover up; Grandfather will come up with something." Peter added; his voice confident. Virgil nodded.

"And it wouldn't be so bad if Dan did find out; he seems to be a reliable, secret keeping, sort of fellow" he added.

Kate sighed, "Yes, he is, but that's beside the point. The point is, I stuffed up. Thunderbirds can't afford to stuff up," she whispered.

Peter, Gordon and Virgil glanced at each other with worried looks, before they stepped into the lounge, gently prodding Kate forward. There was a moment of silence as everyone looked towards them, before Tin-tin gave a shriek and bolted towards Kate, engulfing her in a hug. Alan followed closely behind her, enveloping both his wife and his daughter in a bear hug, muttering apologies to Kate as he embraced her.

"Guys, I'm fine, seriously" she struggled free their embrace.

"Are you sure?" Alan asked, giving the girl a little bit of space as he surveyed her appearance. She was drenched with water, and she looked smaller than she usually did. She looked tired, and her skin was pale. Kate nodded in response to his question

"Yes, I'm fine"

"Yeah, takes more than a bit of water to get our Kat down, doesn't it?" Will joked, and Kate weakly smiled.

"Hey, if cats have nine lives, I think you just used up one," Peter added from where he now stood, next to his father, wrapped in a towel and a thermal blanket. Gordon burst out laughing, as did the younger residents of the island. Still smiling weakly, Kate sighed.

"Um, can I go up to my room, its been a long day" she asked. Alan shook his head.

"Sorry, Kat. We need to talk about some stuff." He told her, glancing up at Jeff, who nodded.

"On the other hand, bed does sound very pleasant now, doesn't it" Jeff commented, and everyone knew the subtle hint, getting up and taking their leave, until it was only Alan, Tin-tin and Kate left in the lounge. Kate bit down on her lip, looking down at the floor, suddenly very fascinated with the carpet.

"Kate, look up at me" Alan quietly asked, raising Kate's chin. Kate blinked tears out of her eyes.

"Dad, I'm so sorry. I've been a brat, seriously. I over reacted, and I jeopardized operation cover up and…"

"Kate, it's okay. Don't worry about it" Alan interrupted, "Dan told why you were doing it, not telling us"

"Mum, Dad, I'm sorry"

"No, we're sorry. We didn't know anything about, about the presentations. We would have thought up ways to go. You're defiantly more important than International Rescue to us, to everyone."

"But Mum"

"Kate, Family has ALWAYS come first. You know that." Alan told his daughter, resting his hand upon her shoulder.

"Dad, but you always seemed so busy. I just didn't want you to feel like you couldn't be a proper Thunderbird just because of having to go to some stupid school thing. Besides, you've both been to a million of these things before, for the boys"

"Being a proper Thunderbird doesn't mean you can't occasionally go on leave, especially for something like your kids awards ceremony" Alan explained,

"And we defiantly haven't been to that many awards Ceremonies. The novelty never wears off" Tin-tin joked, a small smile on her face.

"Seriously?" Kate asked, eyebrows raised and tears sliding down her face.. Both of her parents nodded. Tin-tin gently hugged her daughter, and Alan hugged them both as Kate sobbed onto her mother's shoulder. After a few minutes, Kate had sufficiently recovered.

"Now, you must be tired. Go and have a sleep" Tin-tin smiled, and Kate nodded and hurried up the stairs towards her room. She walked along the corridor until she reached her room, and slid the door open and closed again after she had entered. She walked across the darkened room, listening to the wind whistling through the trees, the rain pelting the side of the villa, and the wave's endless pounding against the shore. With a sigh she changed into a dry set of pajamas, and flopped down onto her bed. It took barely five minutes until she was sound asleep. he reached her room, and slid the door open and closed again after she had entered.

**A.N. Please R and R**


	15. Do know and Don't Know

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Kate awoke late the next morning, curled up in her blankets. She lay there, without moving, for a few minute, her eyes closed, thinking about what had happened during the last day and a bit. She had fought with her parents, almost drowned, come clean about the awards ceremonies and had endangered the secret of International Rescue's Identity. Groaning, Kate opened her eyes, squinting against the daylight that poured through her window. Obviously, she had gone to bed without shutting her curtains. Sitting up, she crawled of her bed, glancing out of the window. The skies had cleared while she was asleep, and the wind had died down to a faint breeze. Kate's eyes flicked to the sea shore that was visible from her window, and noticed that the tide, although still high, was nowhere near as high as it had been the previous day/night.

Kate stretched and wrapped her dressing gown around her, before softly padding her way to the kitchen. The kitchen was empty when she arrived, so she helped herself to an apple, and sat down, munching on it thoughtfully. She walked into the lounge, and noticed that it was also deserted. Kate sighed, and was about to drop into a chair, when she stopped when she saw all of her certificates spread out upon a table. Kate approached the table and looked at them. She ran her fingers over the paper, a sigh escaping her. She picked up one of the certificates, the first she'd ever received. It had been about half a year since Kate had started at the school, when she'd been barely eleven years old, still struggling to adapt to life away from her family. Struggling to keep the secret she was bound by blood to keep, that of the true identity of the Thunderbirds.

The certificate proudly proclaimed that Catherine Tracy had won a prestigious story writing competition. Kate shook her head. The same day as she had received the award, Nick had broken his hand on a rescue, and she had honestly forgotten to tell her family about it, as she had been too worried about her brother. Lowering the certificate, Kate picked up another one, which was more recent. This one stated that she had come "best in her year in Science related subjects, including Chemistry, Biology and Psychology."

Kate rolled her eyes. She'd always least liked Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics of the subjects she did at school, although she'd done well in them the last two years, and she was planning on dropping Biology at the start of the new school year, and probably chemistry as well, leaving spots open for her take up new subjects. Kate put down the award and glanced out the window, gazing out to the sea. A slight noise behind her made Kate jump.

"Sorry about that" Dan smiled, walking up to his friend. Kate exhaled.

"Don't make a habit of it. Do you know where everyone is?" she asked. Daniel nodded.

"They're all down on the beach, helping clean up from the storm. I came back up early to check on you"

"I'm okay, I'm not going to fall apart you know" Kate joked, sitting down on a couch.

"I know that, but I still wanted to check on you" he smiled, sitting beside her. A silence passed between them.

"I was so worried about you" Dan finally said, "I kept seeing things in my head, you know, you getting swept out to sea and drowning, you getting electrocuted, or falling off the cliff trying to escape from the flood" he broke off, and Kate looked carefully at him, wrapping a gentle arm around his shoulders.

"Hey, I'm okay, you don't need to worry. Nothing's going to happen to me. I've got nine lives, remember" she told him, and Dan smiled, recalling the long running joke, born from Kate's childhood nickname "Cat"

"How many do you recon you've got left?" he asked. Kate counted in her head.

"Plenty" she reassured him, and Dan laughed.

"So, how much do your parents know about stuff at school, so I won't say the wrong thing"

"I don't know, what do you know about that they should, or would, know about?" Kate asked.

Dan sighed, counting off on his fingers, "The band" he suggested.

"They know, I told them"

"You got detention for correcting a teacher about the geography of the Pacific Ocean"

"Nope, they'd go mental at the school if I told them about that, or just laugh"

"That you sometimes watch car racing with the other boys at school, and that you're on the school motor cross and BMX teams?"

"Yes to the first, but no to the second two"

"That you almost drowned that time our Sports in the Outdoors class went surfing, and you got caught in a flash rip, and that you freak out in deep water now?"

"No, they don't know about that, and I don't freak out so much anymore, it was just because it was still fresh in my mind, that's all" Kate said, although her mind was filled with memories.

_The sight of the shore, so far away__, the smell of the salt, the way the water seemed to pull down on her legs, sucking her down. The feeling of the life guard gripping her as she struggled to swim. How, after they'd escaped the rip, the waves had pounded down upon them, pushing them down, filling their lungs with water. Kate, Kate!_

Kate snapped back to reality at the sound of Dan's voice, becoming aware that she'd curled up into the fetal position. She uncurled herself, blushing slightly.

"Sorry about that, I was miles away" she apologized to her friend, who shook his head.

"I know you were" he told her, getting up. Kate got up too.

"I'll go and get dressed' she told him, before turning around and hurrying back to her room, leaving Daniel standing alone, in the lounge, slowly shaking his head.

TB TB TB TB TB

The next morning Daniel and his grandfather flew back to the mainland for a 10 day visit to Daniel's other relatives, and a trip to New York to go sight seeing. Gordon had flown them over, and he was going to visit some old WASP friends, and to do some sight seeing of his own.

Kate had been reluctant to see them go, but she found ways to occupy herself. With Dan gone, she could revert to another of her favorite activities, doing flight stimulations in Thunderbird two's hanger. Kate emerged from the hanger at dinner time, a grim smile on her face.

"How did you go?" Alan asked as she sat down at the table. Kate smiled.

"Pretty good, actually" she admitted, picking up her knife and fork and tucking into the delicious food, relishing in the home cooked food that she had missed throughout the school term.

Discussion around the dinner table had turned to the looming 'staff shortage', and Kate felt a flame of excitement shoot through her body. As terrible as it was when the Thunderbirds were called out for a rescue, Kate rather hoped that there would be a rescue while the shortage was on, just a little one.

**A.N. Here's the latest update. Please review. What do you think of the more quiet, conversation based chapters compared with the action based ones?**

**As for the incident mentioned, with the surfing, that actually happened to me a year or so ago. VERY scary, let me tell you. **


	16. Ferry Crash, Pt 1

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Thunderbird 3

Having watched Thunderbird 3 blast itself into the atmosphere, Kate stretched out on the couch, propped up on pillows and reading a book. Dan had been gone for two days, and she had felt like commencing her annual reread of most of the books she owned. Smiling, Will approached her from behind, and ruffled her long, dark, hair.

"I see you've made yourself right at home" he joked. Kate smiled up at him.

"Just catching up on some reading" she told him, grinning.

"C'mon, it's a nice day. Wanna come for a swim?" he asked. Kate nodded, putting her bookmark in the right spot, she closed the book, leaving it on a coffee table, and was about to run up to her room, when the tell tale beeping began to issue form her Uncle John's Portrait. Jeff, who was sitting at his desk completing paperwork, pressed a concealed button.

"Go ahead John."

"Father, theirs been a accident in the Southern ocean, and a cruise ship has run aground on a reef. It's too treacherous for any sea based rescue operations to take place."

"How many passengers are aboard the boat?" Jeff asked, sliding into his role as commander

"About 47, including staff and passengers"

"Alright, keep us posted, and send the details to Thunderbirds 1 and 2" Jeff told John, ending the transmission, and sounding the alarm that summoned the entire family to the lounge. In less than two minutes, everyone was present. It did not take long for Jeff to explain the situation, before taking a deep breath.

"We were worried this was going to happen. We're right in the middle of our shortage of staff, and we have a large scale emergency. Scott, you take Thunderbird 1, and Virgil, you take Thunderbird 2. Will, you go with him, and Kate, you go too. Try and keep out of trouble though" Jeff told them. Kate through a wide grin over her shoulder to where her mother, and Lady Penelope were sitting.

"FAB" she said, her heart practically leaping out of her chest and performing a tap-dance of joy. She followed Will to the now revealed elevator that would take them to Thunderbird two, and descended from view. Once the elevator, and its occupants were out of sight, Tin tin and Grandma both took out handkerchiefs and blew on their noses and dabbed at their eyes, while Lady Penelope gently patted Tin tin's back

"It will be fine, dear. Virgil will look after them both, he won't let anything happen." Penelope told the younger woman, who had commenced sobbing.

"My little baby. She's gotten so big." Tin tin sobbed, dabbing at her eyes.

TB TB TB TB TB

Kate settled herself into one of the passenger seats of Thunderbird 2, her brand new International Rescue uniform feeling slightly too big on her skinny frame. The dark purple sash that was draped over her shoulder felt odd to her, and she felt herself reaching to adjust it several times. Will sat down next to her, smiling

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it" he told her.

"Are you two ready?" Virgil asked from the pilot's seat, and both of the teenagers nodded. Virgil started the ignition, directing his big 'bird' to collect pod 4 as he sank to the ground, before accelerating forward, and taking off towards the danger zone.

TB TB TB TB TB

Kate and Will both were looking out of the window when they first flew over the dangerzone, spotting the bright lights shining from the lifeboats in the dark sea. The sinking ship could still be spotted, sticking up slightly out of the water still. Virgil, too, was looking out of the window, a frown on his face.

"Geeze, Scott, the weather's gonna make this a tricky one. Those waves are massive. If Gordy was here we'd have to fight him off his surf board."

"You're right Virg, which means that this is gonna be tricky. I've landed Thunderbird 1 on a rock island nearby, can you come and pick me up, because Thunderbird 1 isn't gonna be much help with this one."

"FAB Scott" Virgil said, altering his course slightly. Kate looked across at Will.

"Did Uncle Scott just say something negative about Thunderbird 1?' she asked him, her eyes unbelieving. Will laughed.

"Yes, I do believe he just did. Now there is a first."

After picking up Scott, who had established radio contact with the boat's captain, Virgil piloted Thunderbird 2 back to the danger zone, while Scott talked to the captain and Will and Kate watched on.

"Okay, this is what we're gonna do," Scott began, his tone authoritative, "Will, Kate and I are going to get lowered down to the life boats. There is five lifeboats, with 10 on four of them, and seven on the last. I'll go to the seven person lifeboat first, as there is a man in a wheelchair on it, as well as the ship's first aider, and the captain, in case we need any help later on. Will, you'll go second, to this lifeboat," Scott pointed it out on a rough map, "and Kate, you go third, to this one" he pointed out another, "After Will and I finish our first life boats, we'll move on to the remaining two lifeboats. Virgil, you need to lower and raise the harnesses"

"FAB Scott" Virgil grinned, locking the steering and positioning himself by the harness lowering machine, while the other harnessed themselves up.

"Are you ready for this?" Scott asked Kate as he fastened up his harness. Kate nodded, although she could feel butterflies all through her bpdy.

"I think so," she said.

"Good luck, you'll do fine." Scot reassured her, as he moved off towards the opened doorway in the floor of Thunderbird 2, and lowered himself through the doorway, letting go at Virgil's signal. Will followed him, giving Kate a reassuring smile before he too, let go. Kate swallowed nervously as she stepped forwards towards the doorway, the wind roaring about her.

"You'll be fine," Virgil reassured her, stepping forward to fix her harness, which she'd somehow twisted, and handing her a bundle of 10 other harnesses. Kate sat at the edge on the doorway, dangling her legs, as Virgil stood by the machine.

"Okay, off you go" Virgil instructed her, and, taking a deep breath, Kate pushed herself through the doorway.

**A.N. Well, what do you think? Sorry for the slow updates, but I've been really, REALLY busy with School stuff, and other commitments. Please review****, and I might update sooner. ;) **


	17. Ferry Crash, Pt 2

Chapter 17

The first thing she noticed was the wind. Nothing, not even the roar of Thunderbird two's engine, could be heard over the wind, the crashing of the waves below, and the heavy rain that had begin to fall. Flicking wet and windblown hair from her face, Kate tried to ignore how the wind was blowing her of course, causing the rope to sway alarmingly. She kept her gaze level, refusing to look down at the rolling surf, nor up at the window of light that was the doorway she was descending from.

Knowing that she needed to know where the lifeboat she was heading for was, Kate looked down, and felt bile rise in her throat. The raging surf surged beneath her, and she felt panic grasp her heart. She closed her eyes, breathing deeply, calmingly. Exhaling, she looked down again, spotting her target. Virgil had spotlighted her life boat, and she shifted in her harness, changing direction, thankful that they'd taken the wind into account when Thunderbird two had been positioned.

"How are you going, Kate?" Scott asked over the microphones built into their helmets.

"Okay, how are things at your end?"

"Fine, going smoothly. Just checking on you, that wind's pretty bad going down."

"Yeah, I noticed that." Kate smiled beneath her helmet, focusing on her task as she drew closer and closer to the lifeboat, waving slightly to the small cluster of people looking up at her.

TB TB TB TB TB

Kate let out a sigh of relief when she touched the bottom of the lifeboat. She looked around at those she was recuing. There was an even spread of men and women, of varying ages. Kate did a head count, and counted nine.

"Hi, my name is Kate, and I am an International Rescue worker, is anyone hurt?"

"No, we're all fine, but this woman's daughter got washed overboard." One of the men said, pointing at a woman, who was sobbing hysterically.

Kate's heart plummeted, "When?"

"About two minutes ago, she didn't look any older that seven."

Kate cursed under her breath, before touching the woman's arm.

"Mam, my name is Kate, I work for International rescue. This man has told me your daughter has been washed overboard.

"Yes, she has. Her name is Emily, and she's six years old." Another man, who had been comforting the girl's mother, answered.

"Can she swim?"

"A little, but not very well, I'm her father."

"Thank you sir." Kate said, before redirecting her attention to the rest of the group.

"Can you all please get a harness and fit it as per the diagrams." She instructed, untying the bundle of harnesses she had brought down with her and passing them around, keeping one in her hand, before speaking into her mike.

"Kate to Thunderbird 5, Kate to thunderbird 5, come in John."

"Reading you loud and clear, Kate, what's up.?"

"Can you do a life from scan of the water around me?" she asked, and John said nothing, she heard him tapping away at computer keys, and jumped when he yelled triumphantly.

"Got one, not strong, but it's there."

"Good, send the co-ordinates to Thunderbird 2, Virgil, I guess you've been listening?"

"Well, yeah," Virgil muttered,

"Doesn't matter, can you spotlight the co-ordinates. We've got a missing six year old, and that water isn't getting any warmer or shallower."

"FAB, spotlighting now." A beam of light burst from Thunderbird 2's bottom, and swung around until it was shining on a spot of ocean. Kate quickly checked each of the harnesses, before nodding. She gently took Emily's mother by the arm.

"I'm going to find your daughter, okay?" The woman sobbed, nodding. Kate spoke into her mike again.

"Virgil, raise harnesses T3 through to T11, I repeat, T3 to T11."

"FAB, raising now." The harnesses creaked as the group of survivors began to be lifted towards Thunderbird 2, leaving Kate alone on the boat. Holding the spare harness tightly, Kate hurried to the side of the life raft that was closest to the spotlighted ocean, and took a deep breath, before diving headfirst into the stormy seas.

TB TB TB TB TB

_Icy cold, dragging her down. Breathe! Underwater currents surging around her. Breathe! Waves dumping down upon her, pushing her under the icy water. Breathe! Far off yelling, too distant to hear what was being said. Can't Breathe! Freezing cold, pressing down upon her, being dragged by the currents, battered by the waves. Can't breathe! _

_Can't breathe!_

_SOMEBODY HELP ME!_

Kate struggled to brush the memories away, focusing on the task at hand. She struck out, swimming through the water, ducking beneath the waves. She focused her eyes on the beam of light that was her goal. Nothing else mattered but getting there. She tuned out everything in the background. The roaring of the surf, the whistling of the wind, the water that sprayed up in her face, the sound of Thunderbird two's engine. Kate held her breath and ducked another wave. She kicked her legs, holding the spare harness in her mouth so she could use her arms freely. After what seemed like an eternity, but was really less than 30 seconds, Kate reached the floodlit patch of ocean. Worried, she looked around.

No girl.

Her heart suddenly joining the harness in her mouth, Kate duck dived, craning her vision in the dark and debris filled water. There, not far down, something was floating, and it had red hair. Kicking out, going down this time, Kate reached out and grabbed at the thing, before quickly heading for the surface. She coughed when she got to the surface.

As did the thing she was clutching by the arm.

Kate held the young girl tightly, wrapping an arm around the girls back and supporting her by the armpits, while treading water with the other hand.

"Emily! Emily? Are you okay?"

"Umm, yes, I think so" The little girl answered, before coughing up some more water.

"That's good, my name is Kate, and I work for international Rescue."

"You mean, the Thunderbirds?" Emily asked excitedly. Kate nodded, smiling.

"Yep. Look up."

Emily squealed as she took in Thunderbird two, hovering overhead.

"Wow, it's so big. Do you get to fly it?"

"No, but I know how to.'

"Really, that's cool."

"Yeah it is. Now, Emily, I'm going to help you put on this harness, okay? Once I've done that, we can be lifted up by Thunderbird two, and we can go for a ride with your Mummy and Daddy."

"Kate, will you go with me?" The girl was suddenly scared.

"Yeah, I'll be right next to you. Now, put your legs through these two holes…"

Eventually, Emily had her harness on, and Kate was checking it when static crackled over her mike.

"Scott, Will and Kate! There is a Rogue wave heading right for you, grab onto something."

"Virgil, lift harnesses T1 and T2, I'm done here."

"Hang on Kate. I'm lifting you now."

"Too Late!" Scott yelled as the large wave crashed into the rescue zone. Kate wrapped both arms around Emily, and looked at the little girl.

"Take a big breath' She instructed, and Emily complied. Taking a breath herself, Kate glanced over her shoulder at the wave as it crashed over them.

Kate felt the water try to drag them down, and gripped tighter onto Emily. She felt the harness lines struggling, before slipping a few inches. Kate coughed again once it was over, as did little Emily.

"Is it over?" The little girl asked. Kate bit her lip, nodding.

"Yep, that was it."

"Kate, are you guys okay?" Kate had to smile at Will's frantic voice.

"Yeah, a little shaken, but otherwise fine. How did you go?"

"I'll tell you later."

"Ok, Virgil, are we set to go up?"

"Yes, going up" The two girls began to rise, and Emily wrapped her arms around Kate's Neck

"I don't like it" she said as the wind blew them around. Kate smiled reassuringly.

"Close your eyes and think of your Mummy and Daddy, that always makes things better."

"Okay" Emily squeezed her eyes shut. Kate looked up instead, relieved to see the doorway, the window of light shining brightly, rapidly getting larger

Emily opened her eyes as they got closer, looking up to, and smiling.

"It isn't big, it's HUGE!" she said, and Kate could hear Virgil laugh from down the mike. Obviously he had heard Emily's comment.

"Yeah, it is, isn't it?"

"It mustn't be very fast. Big things don't go as fast as little things."

"Yeah, that's right. Thunderbird three is the fastest. It's a space rocket that flies up into space and back. It's even been to the sun before."

"WOW, really."

"Really Really"

"Have you flown that one before?"

"No, I haven't flown it, but I've ridden in it before."

"Really?'

"Yep, only once though. We're almost there, Emily."

"Wow, we are almost there. Through the hole we go."

Emily was silent as the passed through the hole and into the receiving area of thunderbird 2. Setting her feet back on solid ground, Kate let out a sigh of relief. Made it. She unclipped herself from the line that had been supporting her weight and unclipped Emily as well, leaving the harnesses on. Kate set Emily down onto the ground, letting the girl look around wildly, trying to take everything in, her eyes wetting wider and wider. Virgil hid his smile as he looked at the two girls, dripping wet, the younger extremely curious about everything around her, the elder looking drained.

"The rest are in the rescued bay." He said, directing them to where the rest of those who were already on board were

"Okay, I'll take her." Kate took Emily's hand.

"Kate?"

"Yeah, Emily?'

"Can you carry me?"

"Okay" Kate sighed and picked the girl up, and Emily happily wrapped her arms around Kate's neck again. Carrying the girl, Kate walked down a short passage to the large room where people were taken once they'd been recued. As she entered, she heard a woman shriek.

"My baby, Emily!"

"Mummy!" Emily squealed, and Kate set her down so she could run to her mother, and her father, who had dissolved into tears. Kate smiled, and was about to go when she heard Emily call her name.

"Kate, come and meet my Mummy and Daddy."

Kate slowly walked over, pulling her helmet off and carrying it in her left hand. Emily's mother embraced her.

"You saved her, my baby, my Emily. Thank-you, thank-you, God bless you"

"It was nothing, really. Just doing my job" Kate smiled politely. Emily's father stepped forward, shaking Emily's hand.

"Thank-you, thank-you for saving my daughter, for saving all of us."

"I was just doing my job, sir" Kate said.

"Is there anything I can do for you, anything at all, I would do it."

"No sir, thank-you for offering though."

Emily's mother was wrapping a thermal blanket around Emily, who was excitedly telling her what had happened to her.

"I'm sorry sir, but I need to get going." Kate politely excused herself, waving farewell to Emily and her mother, before leaving the room. She walked back to Virgil, who had two thermal blankets waiting for her.

"They wanted to thank me" she said in explanation of were she had been. Virgil nodded.

"It's always awkward when they try to thank-you." He said, "Especially the first few times. You get used to it."

**A.N Hi guys. Yes, in case you were wondering, I'm still alive; I've just been really bust with some really important exams. Anyway, here's the latest chapter. I hope you like it. PLEASE REVIEW **

**BY THE WAY, there is a poll on my page. Please Vote in it. **

**Thanx**

**R.W. **


	18. Return to Base

Chapter 18

Kate stood in the doorway of Thunderbird 2, watching as the people they had rescued walked down the ramp to solid land, where a cluster of ambulances and police cars were waiting for them. Paramedics were waiting for them, offering first aid, and medical care, to those who needed it. She sighed happily, a feeling of contentment spreading throughout her body, knowing that she had been on a mission, and had taken an active role in it.

She jumped slightly when she felt a small hand tap her in the back, smiling when she turned and saw Emily, flanked by her parents.

"Hi, Emily, you're all safe now."

"Yes, we are, thanks to you, and your colleagues" Emily's father said, smiling.

"I want to give this to you, Kate. Thank-you for saving me," Emily said, handing Kate a folded piece of paper. Kate smiled, opening it. It was a picture, drawn by Emily herself, of Kate, and Emily, and Thunderbird 2. Kate crouched down and gently hugged Emily.

"Thank-you, Emily. I'll put it up where I can see it everyday."

"Bye, Kate" Emily said waving as her parents lead her down the ramp, smiling.

"Bye, Emily." Kate waved, before walking away from the door way and entering the cockpit, where Will was sitting.

"What's that?" he asked.

"A little present from the little girl I rescued," Kate said, showing him the picture. Will laughed.

"Cute."

"You guys ready to go?" Virgil asked as he entered the cockpit, having checked that there was no-one else on the plane, and that the room that those who had been rescued had been in, was empty of belongings.

"Look what Kate got from that little girl" Will said, and Kate showed Virgil the picture. Virgil grinned, able to appreciate the artistic qualities the picture showed.

"Very nice, a good memento from your first mission, huh Kate?"

"Yeah I think so" Kate settled into her seat, doing up her seatbelt. Beside her, Will did the same as Virgil started up the engines.

"So, we haven't put you off joining up?" Virgil asked. Kate let out a laugh.

"No, I rather enjoyed it. I haven't been put off at all"

"That's good" Will said, "But then, it might be a while before you get to go on a mission again, so I hope you're not too enthused about going on another mission."

"Gee, aren't you Captain Sunshine" Kate pouted as Vigil switched on the radio.

"Thunderbird 2 to base, Thunderbird two to base"

"Go ahead Virgil" Jeff's voice sounded over the speaker.

"We've dropped off the ferry boat accident victims, father, and Scott's already left for base."

"Yes, he has already radioed in. How did thing go at your end?"

"Pretty good, Kate was able to get her hands dirty, so to speak, so she's quite happy."

"So, no injuries?"

"No, we're all fine" Virgil rolled his eyes, knowing that Scott would have informed base if there had been any injuries.

"That's good. What are the kids up to?"

"They're having a discussion about how high the waves were." Virgil said, glancing over his shoulder at the pair of teenagers, who were both involved in the rather animated discussion.

"Scott said it was a good thing that Gordon was not there."

"Yeah, he would have wanted to bring his surf board."

Jeff laughed, "Radio in when you get closer to home, Virgil"

"FAB"

TB TB TB TB TB

Virgil lead the way as the trio emerged from Thunderbird two's hanger, Will and Kate still playfully arguing about the real height of the waves. As they entered the study for the debrief, having already changed back into their civilian clothes, Vigil caught his fathers eye and grinned. Scott was already back at Penny's side, and was whispering something in her ear.

"Ah, Virgil, Will, Kate, good to see you guys back," Jeff smiled at them, and they took seats. Kate couldn't help but notice that her mother was absent, but knew that the minute Tin-tin knew that they were back, Kate and Will would both be smothered in hugs (although they would both (pretend to) protest that they were far too old for hugs.

"We weren't gone that long father," Virgil easily smiled at his father, and Jeff simply nodded.

"Anything you want to say? Scott's already told me about what happened out there."

"Not really father, what about you two?" Vigil looked at Kate and Will, who both shook their heads.

"That's good. Everything went according to plan, except that little girl that Kate had to rescue. That was good, quick thinking, Kate." Jeff smiled at his youngest grandchild, who grinned shyly back at him.

"All right, good work. Why don't you all go and have a nice hot shower?" Jeff suggested, and the newly returned Thunderbirds nodded enthusiastically and got up, walking towards their rooms.

TB TB TB TB TB

Kate exhaled as she stepped back into her room, fully dressed after her shower, which had taken away the lingering coolness she still felt from her swim. Her eyes fell upon the piece of paper that she had put on her bed before her shower. Smiling, she picked it up. It was Emily's drawing. Kate sighed, and folded it up, opening her wardrobe, and pulling out a well hidden box. Using a key from her dresser, and the fingerprint identification pad on the boxes side, she opened the box. Inside was all the memorabilia she had collected during her life that was about the Thunderbirds. Chuckling about how she had come full circle, from wistful observer, to starting flight training, to going through scenarios in the stimulator, to actually flying thunderbird two on a maintenance flight around the island, to going on her fist mission, Kate placed the picture on top, before closing the lid, and putting it back in its hiding spot.

Closing her wardrobe, Kate laughed when she heard her mother knocking on her bedroom door, before entering. Tin-tin smiled broadly when she saw her daughter, suddenly feeling relieved, finally able to believe Scott and Virgil's reports that her daughter had not been injured in any way during the rescue.

"Hey" Kate grinned, and Tin-tin smiled even wider, walking across the room and embracing her daughter in a bear hug.

"I was so worried about you, and Will" she said, "you're much too young to start in this business."

"Mum, it went fine. I'm okay, Will's fine, Uncle Virg and Uncle Scott are both good. We're all okay." Kate soothed her mother, a slight smile on her face because of her mother's over reaction.

"Yes, I know." Tin-tin ran her fingers through Kate's long hair.

"You're only freaking out because I'm your precious baby" Kate said, smiling at her mother, who laughed.

"What if I am? Go and have a bite to eat, and then go to bed early. Those rescues always take it out of your father and brothers."

"Yes mum," Kate smiled stepping out of the room beside her mother and waling down the corridor, Tin-tin following a few steps behind.

TB TB TB TB TB

Kate was in a daze by the time she slid her bedroom door closed, her eyelids fighting to stay open. She could dimly hear Will moving in the room next to hers, but she ignored the noise as she quickly changed into her pyjamas. She hurriedly brushed her teeth in her ensuite, before finally flopping down onto her bed, crawling beneath the covers, smiling as she felt Socksy's soft fur brushing up against her hand as the cat joined her beneath the covers, curling up against her chest and purring contentedly. Kate gently rested her hand on Socksy's side, before giving in to her weariness and letting her eyes slide shut.

A.N. Oh my gosh, I'm so Sorry it's been so long since I last updated, but I've had writers block REALLY bad, and haven't been able to think of anything. Unfortunately, I have recently started studying at University, so updates probably will remain being infrequent. My apologies about this.

Anyway, reviews are much appreciated, and make my day so much better. (hint hint)

R.W.


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